Indigenous education in Australia has been the subject of ongoing policy focus and repeated official inquiry as the nation grapples with trying to achieve equity for these students. Perspectives from recent developments in the USA and Canada highlight the similarity of challenges. The article employs a multidisciplinary approach to social theory to examine the underlying causes of the creation of a plateau effect of progress in this area. The article argues that the lack of progress is a reflection of a complex set of underlying factors, many of which are under acknowledged in educational debates. Arising from this examination is the need for a new governance model for Indigenous education involving both horizontal and vertical policy-making structures. (Contains 4 tables and 1 figure.)