Federal government puts states and territories on notice over failures to close the gap for Indigenous citizens

Indigenous Australians Minister Malarndirri McCarthy has called out Queensland and the Northern Territory for their high incarceration rates of First Nations people, as she outlines plans to impose penalties on states and territories failing to close the gap.

"The rising rates of incarceration, the early deaths still of First Nations people demands our country's full attention, and we must do our utmost to make sure we meet those targets," she told the ABC.

"There is no doubt that Queensland and the Northern Territory's targets are alarming, in particular the Northern Territory around the high incarceration rates of First Nations people, in particular youth."

Senator McCarthy first raised the prospect of "penalties" for jurisdictions not meeting their targets under the national partner