Targets and outcomes

Target 1: Close the gap in life expectancy within a generation, by 2031

Since the commencement of the Closing the Gap journey, data demonstrates that the disparity in the life expectancy gap between Aboriginal Australians and non-Aboriginal Australians continues to grow.

Victoria’s Aboriginal population is growing at a much faster rate than the non-Aboriginal population, increasing 12% between the 2011 and 2016 Census. However, due to the smaller number Aboriginal people in Victoria, life expectancy estimates are not able to be produced.[1] VicHealth research indicates that based on 2006 ABS data it is estimated a life expectancy gap between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians of 11.8 years for men and 10 years for women.[2] Diseases such as cancer, diabetes and circulatory diseases and the impacts of poor mental health continue to be the leading causes of death for Aboriginal people.[3]

In response to ongoing calls from the Aboriginal community and community-controlled sector, the Victorian Government is focused on measuring quality of life as an overall indicator of a long and healthy life. To capture a holistic picture of quality of life, Victoria, through the VAAF, measures life expectancy at birth, proportion reporting ‘excellent or very good’ health status and other associated outcomes.

The health and wellbeing of Aboriginal people is affected by several risk factors including the experiences of racism and discrimination, especially within the health system. As a result, Aboriginal people continue to experience poorer health outcomes and non-Aboriginal people. Victoria already measures a number of underlying factors that contribute to Aboriginal life expectancy rates including but not limited to:

• life expectancy at birth
• self-reported health status
• daily smoking rates
• rates of preventable hospitalisation
• emergency room presentations due to alcohol or other drug-related harm.

These factors will inform Victoria’s measurement of life expectancy and ensure that the gap between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Victorians continues to close.

A well-resourced ACCHO sector is crucial for addressing the underlying factors that contribute to Aboriginal life expectancy rates and ensuring that the Aboriginal community has access to culturally safe care that reflects their definition of health and wellbeing.

Social and cultural determinants of health including connection to Country, culture, community and family provide strong protective factors for Aboriginal people. Increased focus on preventative strategies and timely access to culturally safe services are ways the health system can contribute to improved health and wellbeing for Aboriginal people. Strong, holistic wraparound models of care that are based in Aboriginal ways of being, knowing and doing can provide additional opportunities to improve health and wellbeing for Aboriginal people and families.

Minister responsible

The lead minister responsible is Martin Foley MP, Minister for Health, with the supporting portfolio of. Gabrielle Williams MP, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs.

Partnership with Indigenous Australians

In 2019, the Victorian Government committed to the creation of a health forum led by the Aboriginal community to provide governance, oversight, and decision making on Aboriginal health priorities. The Aboriginal Health and Wellbeing Partnership Forum was established in April 2021 to meet those goals. This Partnership Forum is the lead body for the Aboriginal health sector to identify health priorities, design Aboriginal-led solutions, and advise government to achieve better health and wellbeing outcomes for Victoria’s Aboriginal community. Co-chaired by the Minister for Health and the Board Chairperson of the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO), the forum will lead the development of a Victorian Aboriginal health plan with agreed priorities to drive and coordinate government and Aboriginal sector action.

The Aboriginal Strategic Governance Forum, established in 2017 to provide a state-wide mechanism for Aboriginal-led decision making will work in partnership with the Aboriginal Health and Wellbeing Forum to ensure that health issues are considered across community and social services, and contribute voice towards the progression of health priorities.

To improve health and wellbeing for Aboriginal people, commitment and action is also required across the broader health service system. Through health reform activities, government will need to ensure that Aboriginal voices are included and involved in decision-making at the state and local level.

Government commitment to self-determination

The Victorian Government is committed to improving health, wellbeing and safety outcomes for Aboriginal Victorians. At the very heart of this change is self-determination, whereby Aboriginal people take ownership, carriage and responsibility for designing, delivering and evaluating policy and services on their own terms.

On July 2017, the Department of Health and Human Services launched the ‘Supporting self-determination: prioritising funding to Aboriginal organisations’ policy (the policy) with the overall objective of supporting Aboriginal self-determination and improving the health, wellbeing and safety outcomes of Aboriginal Victorians. The policy aims to prioritise Aboriginal-specific funding to Aboriginal organisations who provide services that address their communities’ health, wellbeing and safety needs and aspirations.

Actions

A full list of actions can be found at the table on the action list.

Target 2: By 2031, increase the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander babies with a healthy birthweight to 91%

Being born healthy is fundamental to Aboriginal babies having a strong start to life. For Aboriginal babies to have a greater chance of being born at a healthy birthweight, their mothers must be supported and healthy before and during pregnancy.

Koori Maternity Services (KMS) are an integral part of Victoria’s maternity system. They provide flexible, holistic and culturally safe pregnancy and postnatal care for Aboriginal women, women having Aboriginal babies and their families. Provided at both Aboriginal organisations and public health services, KMS embrace a holistic Aboriginal understanding of health that extends beyond physical wellbeing to include the social, emotional, spiritual and cultural wellbeing of the individual woman, her family and her community.

To ensure that Aboriginal babies are born with a healthy birthweight, KMS aim to increase access to earlier antenatal care, reduce smoking rates during pregnancy for Aboriginal women, reduce the proportion of Aboriginal babies born early, and reduce the number of deaths of Aboriginal babies during pregnancy or soon after birth.

Efforts to improve health outcomes for vulnerable and at-risk women, babies and families must address the social determinants of health, including those that do not directly relate to the healthcare system. Achieving this requires KMS to work with early childhood family support services and the community in order to respond to the individual needs and circumstances of each woman and her family. KMS teams, like other antenatal care providers, often play a central role in identifying and providing the ‘first response’ for women and families experiencing increased vulnerability or risk. They make care and support accessible and safe, whenever needed.

KMS are delivered in line with a commitment to placing Aboriginal women, their babies and their families at the centre of care, grounded in Aboriginal ways of being, knowing and doing.

Minister responsible

The lead minister responsible is Martin Foley MP, Minister for Health, with the supporting portfolio of. Gabrielle Williams MP, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs.

Partnership with Indigenous Australians

The Department of Health has a working relationship between KMS and Maternal and Child Health to support streamlined continuum of care to ensure that Aboriginal children and mothers are heathy and have a strong start to life.

The VACCHO Koori Maternity and Early Years team coordinates peer networking and learning opportunities for the KMS workforce, including the annual Women’s Business Forum and quarterly steering committee meetings. External education and training opportunities also coordinated and promoted by the Koori Maternity and Early Years team include specialised training in sexual health, smoking (tobacco) cessation, drugs and alcohol, family violence, oral health, breastfeeding and diabetes management.

The Royal Women’s Hospital’s Maternity Services Education Program (MSEP) provides on-site workshops for maternity service providers across Victoria. MSEP works in partnership with VACCHO to provide pregnancy care education for the KMS workforce in line with current evidence and best practice.

Actions

A full list of actions can be found at the table on the action list.

Target 3: By 2025, increase the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children enrolled in Year Before Fulltime Schooling (YBFS) early childhood education to 95%.

Along with positive outcomes in language, literacy, numeracy and overall social and emotional wellbeing, culturally responsive early childhood learning provides an important foundation for future learning and development. The experience of children in the years before school and in the transition to school shapes how they go on to engage with and participate in school and education more generally during their school years.

International research on brain development and early learning environments also proves that it is paramount for young children to be engaged in high-quality early childhood education programs if later academic success is to be achieved (Early Childhood Australia, 2016). When Aboriginal children and their families are supported to access a high-quality and culturally respectful early childhood education programs, this has positive flow-on effects on learning outcomes and attendance throughout the schooling years.

Victoria is already exceeding or is well on track to meet this target. In Victoria, the 4-year-old kindergarten participation (enrolment) rate for Aboriginal children was 92.4% in 2018, on par with the rate for all Victorian children (92.1%).

In 2019, the 4-year-old kindergarten participation rate for Aboriginal children was 99.9%, above the rate for all Victorian children (91.8%).[1]

Similar increases in enrolment rates of Aboriginal children in three-year old kindergarten have been observed across Victoria. In 2018, the enrolment rate for Aboriginal children in three-year old kindergarten was 61%, increasing to 66% in 2019. With the introduction of funded three-year old kindergarten for all children in Victoria from 2022, it is important that the increases in kindergarten enrolment in both three and 4-year old kindergarten are maintained.

Minister responsible

The lead minister responsible is the Hon Ingrid Stitt MLC, Minister for Early Childhood, with the supporting portfolio of Gabrielle Williams MP, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs.

Partnership with Indigenous Australians

Action to improve learning and development outcomes for Aboriginal learners across early childhood, schools and further education and training is delivered through Marrung: Aboriginal Education Plan 2016-2026. Consistent with the guiding principles underpinning self-determination, Marrung was developed together with the Victorian Government’s principal partner in Koorie education, the Victorian Aboriginal Education Association Incorporated (VAEAI).

The Marrung Central Governance Committee was established to oversee the implementation of Marrung, monitor progress against key targets and indicators and provide strategic advice on programs and policy reform. The Marrung Central Governance Committee is co-chaired by the Secretary of the Department of Education and Training and the President of VAEAI, and includes representatives from state-wide Aboriginal peak bodies including the Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency (VACCA), the Victorian Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO) and the Victorian Aboriginal Community Services Agency Limited (VACSAL). The Marrung Central Governance Committee membership also extends to organisations and departments across a range of sectors in Victoria who support educational and social and emotional outcomes for Aboriginal learners.

Actions

A full list of actions can be found at the table on the action list.

Target 4: By 2031, increase the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children assessed as developmentally on track in all 5 domains of the Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) to 55%.

The first 5 years of a child's life are fundamental to shaping their future. There are currently barriers in place preventing Aboriginal families from accessing culturally safe maternal child health and early childhood programs. To improve outcomes, our universal services need to better engage with Koorie families so as to promote genuine and effective relationships, as early childhood inequalities underpin the lifelong disparities in health, educational achievement and wellbeing (Marrung: Aboriginal Education Plan 2016-2026, p25).

Although Victoria has high rates of Aboriginal participation in kindergarten programs, Aboriginal children are more than twice as likely to be developmentally vulnerable in one or more domains of the Australian Early Development Census in their first year of education compared to non-Aboriginal children. This reiterates the need to ensure early childhood services are inclusive and culturally safe to ensure Aboriginal children can meaningfully participate and are able to access any additional supports as early as possible.

Within Victoria there is a vibrant and high-quality community-controlled early years’ sector that provides education and holistic support to Aboriginal and their families. Aboriginal Child and Family Centres and Multifunctional Aboriginal Children’s Services are often described as ’one-stop shops‘ for Aboriginal families, connecting them to a variety of integrated services that support wellbeing for children and their families. The services provided are often based around community needs and may include health programs such as assessments, hearing, and maternal health services; parenting programs; legal and housing supports; and outreach and transportation supports.[1] When resourced appropriately, these services have the potential to influence positive outcomes across a range of the Closing the Gap targets and VAAF measures.

Access to quality parenting information, advice and support that is culturally relevant and accessible is critical for giving Aboriginal children the best possible start in life. When parenting programs focus on the early stages of a child’s life, particularly on the quality of parent-child interaction, they can help promote the wellbeing of children and prevent problems from developing later in life.

Balert Gerrbik: Koorie Families as First Educators, an initiative under Marrung, is a culturally responsive evidence-based parenting support initiative currently delivered by ACCOs in regional and metropolitan locations. The underlying principles of the initiative continue to be early intervention/prevention and a strengths-based approach to building the capacity of parents as first educators of their young children from birth to preschool age.

Alongside access to educational services, providing an Aboriginal baby with a healthy start to life will determine their health and wellbeing outcomes into childhood and across their lifespan. To improve the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal mothers and babies, the Aboriginal Maternal and Child Health program is critical and provides choice of access of Maternal and Child Health (MCH) services at 16 local Aboriginal organisations or through universal MCH providers. This supports the delivery of services that are culturally welcoming, respectful and safe and strengthens self-determination in Aboriginal organisations.

Victoria has an over 20-year history of Aboriginal MCH programs with the first program commencing at the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service (VAHS) in 1999. This program continues to be provided under the VAHS Women’s and Children’s Program which provides MCH key ages and stages checks, immunisations for children and adults, pregnancy care, women’s health, support with parenting, child health and development, paediatric assessments and follow ups.

The Aboriginal MCH program aims to: 

• embed self-determination as a core principle of MCH service delivery, recognising the importance of Aboriginal organisations in delivering services to meet the health, wellbeing, and safety aspirations of their local Aboriginal community 
• offer families choice and flexibility in how they access MCH services, including place-based support tailored to their needs 
• support relationships between mainstream MCH providers and Aboriginal organisations to provide integrated, coordinated support and referral pathways. 

Improving the first 5 years of an Aboriginal child’s life, including through maternal and childhood health programs, early childhood development and access to family support services, remains a key focus as the critical foundation to ensuring Aboriginal children enjoy better educational engagement and achievement throughout their schooling and beyond.

Minister responsible

The lead minister responsible is Martin Foley MP, Minister for Health, with the supporting portfolio of the Hon Ingrid Stitt MLC, Minister for Early Childhood, and Gabrielle Williams MP, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs.

Partnership with Indigenous Australians

In 2016, the Victorian Government allocated $1.6 million for the Aboriginal Maternal and Child Health Initiative (AMCHI) over two years as part of Roadmap for Reform: Strong Families, Safe Children. The Aboriginal community was engaged through a co-design process to develop a MCH service delivery model to deliver more culturally responsive and high-quality services through both ACCOs and current service providers.

AMCHI was trialled in nine services across a range of local government and Aboriginal organisational service delivery settings from 2017-18 until 2019-20. The 2018/19 State Budget made a further investment of $4 million for Aboriginal MCH over 4 years.

This supported the continuation of the Aboriginal MCH program in 4 Aboriginal organisations that were part of the AMCHI trial and allowed its expansion into a further 6 Aboriginal organisations from late 2020. The department’s Korin Korin Balit Djak: Aboriginal health, wellbeing and safety strategic plan 2017-2027 informed the Aboriginal MCH program’s continuation and expansion, along with the Victorian Aboriginal Affairs Framework 2018-2023 Objective 1.2: Children thrive in their first 1000 days, which is measured by Measure 1.2.1: Participation rates for Maternal and Child Health Key Ages and Stages Consultations.

In addition to the existing Marrung Central Governance Committee, established through Marrung: Aboriginal Education Plan 2016-2026, Victoria has established the Aboriginal Families and Children Working Group.

This working group aims to strengthen collaboration and coordinate a strategic approach across the Victorian Government to improve outcomes for Aboriginal families and children, particularly those vulnerable to harm, disadvantage or social exclusion. The Working Group comprises senior leaders from state-wide Aboriginal peak bodies and senior departmental leaders.

Actions

Progress against this target is supported by the kindergarten participation initiatives identified under Target 3 above, as well as the Koorie Families as First Educators program.

A full list of actions can be found at the table on the action list.

Target 5: By 2031, increase the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (age 20-24) attaining year 12 or equivalent qualification to 96%

Access to high-quality education provides significant short-term and lifelong benefits, not only for academic attainment, but also for resilience, creativity, and a range of social and economic outcomes. Education and training are vital to achieving better life outcomes for all young people. Strong learning and development foundations are essential to ensuring Aboriginal students are supported to complete their schooling and access the full range of higher education and training pathways, and subsequent economic opportunities.

In Victoria in 2019, 688 Aboriginal young people completed the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE), Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL), or VET in Schools Certificate, an increase on the 594 Koorie students that completed in 2018. Victoria does not currently report this data as a proportion due to the lack of availability of a reliable population denominator.

The gap in Year 12 or equivalent attainment rates is trending towards parity with the proportion of Aboriginal people aged 20-24 having completed secondary school increasing from 56.4%in 2006 to 71.3% in 2016.[1] Over the same period the gap in attainment between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal young people has also decreased from 30.0% to 19.2%.[2] More Aboriginal students are completing a Year 12 or equivalent qualification than ever before. The number of Aboriginal students who completed the VCE, VCAL or VET in the Schools Certificate more than doubled from 2011 to 2018.[3]

Over the past 5 years, the proportion of Aboriginal students achieving in the top 2 bands of NAPLAN Reading and Numeracy has increased in Years 3 and 5 Reading, and Years 3 and 9 Numeracy, while remaining stable in other Year levels. Over the same 5-year time period, the proportion of Aboriginal students performing in the bottom 2 bands for Reading and Numeracy has decreased across all Year levels, with the exception of Year 7 Reading. Together with the increases in the number of students in the top 2 bands, this indicates a general lifting across all levels of achievement. However, there remains a persistent achievement gap between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students.

The apparent retention rate for Aboriginal students in Years 10 to 12 is lower than for non-Aboriginal students. In 2019, the Year 10-12 apparent retention rate for Aboriginal students in Victorian government schools was 58.8%, compared to 78.2% for non-Aboriginal students.

Minister responsible

The lead minister responsible is the Hon. James Merlino, Minister for Education supporting portfolio of Hon. Gabrielle Williams, MP, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs

Partnership with Indigenous Australians

The Marrung Central Governance Committee was established to oversee the implementation of Marrung, monitor progress against key targets and indicators and provide strategic advice on programs and policy reform. Year 12 attainment rates, and associated measures are implemented, monitored, and reported against through this governance committee.

Actions

A full list of actions can be found at the table on the action list.

Target 6: By 2031, increase the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 25-34 years who have completed a tertiary qualification (Certificate III and above) to 70%

The Victorian Government is committed to ensuring that Aboriginal students are supported in education to pursue and complete their desired tertiary pathways. We aspire for success for every Koorie child in education, achieving their developmental potential and their ambitions for life.

Education is the cornerstone of economic development and self-determination. Education increases a person’s opportunity and choice in life, equipping them with personal and practical skills to get the jobs they want and live healthier and more prosperous lives.

The proportion of young Aboriginal people engaged in education, training or employment has grown significantly across the last decade. Empowering Aboriginal people complete a tertiary qualification will enable economic independence and security, whilst further strengthening the skilled Aboriginal workforce for generations to come.

The 2019 ‘On-Track’ Survey of Year 12 completers suggests Victoria still has some way to go before meeting this target. This survey found 29.8% of Aboriginal Year 12 completers (who completed the survey) commenced a Bachelor degree, slightly lower than in 2018 (32.9%). 15.7% commenced a Certificate or Diploma and 17.3% went into an apprenticeship or traineeship. In 2019, 0.6% of Aboriginal Year 12 completers advised they were ‘not in the labour force, education or training,’ a decrease from 0.9% in 2018 and 2.6% in 2017.

Compared to their non-Aboriginal counterparts, young Aboriginal Year 12 leavers are more likely to go on to do an apprenticeship, traineeship, Certificate, Diploma or be employed, rather than go to university, straight after finishing Year 12.

Minister responsible

The lead minister responsible is the Hon Gayle Tierney MP, Minister for Training and Skills and Minister for Higher Education, with supporting portfolio of the Hon James Merlino MP, Minister for Education and Gabrielle Williams MP, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs.

Partnership with Indigenous Australians

Since 2000, Victorian Aboriginal learners participating in vocational education and training (VET) have been supported through the Wurreker Strategy. Wurreker was implemented in partnership with VAEAI to improve education and training delivery in the TAFE sector to achieve quality education, training and employment outcomes for Aboriginal learners. The strategy enables collaboration between TAFE and Dual Sector Institutes and local Aboriginal communities to address local vocational education and training needs.

The Toorong Marnong Higher Education Accord aims to develop ways in which the nine Victorian universities can cooperate to enhance their engagement with Koorie communities. Toorong Marnong is a collaborative initiative between VAEAI and the Victorian Vice-Chancellors’ Committee. This collaborative work is recognised in the 2017 Universities Australia Report in relation to building Indigenous participation and success (Universities Australia Indigenous Strategy, 2017 – 2020).

The Marrung Central Governance Committee was established to oversee the implementation of Marrung, monitor progress against key targets and indicators and provide strategic advice on programs and policy reform. Targets and measures relating to further education and training are implemented, monitored, and reported against through this governance committee.

Actions

A full list of actions can be found at the table on the action list.

Target 7: By 2031, increase the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth (15 – 24 years) who are in employment, education, or training to 67%

Aboriginal young people are the community leaders of tomorrow. Supporting young people to achieve their life ambitions is fundamental to achieving better outcomes for individuals, communities and the Victorian population. Supporting pathways to further education, training and employment is key to ensuring Aboriginal Victorians can navigate the future world of work. This requires communities, educators, families and industry working together to build aspirations through the provision of high-quality career education. Key to this is ensuring Aboriginal people are supported to access education and employment opportunities at all stages of life.

Between 2006 and 2016, the proportion of Aboriginal Victorians aged 20-64 with qualifications at Certificate III level or above increased by 16.5%, a faster rate increase compared with their non-Aboriginal peers.

The disparity between employment outcomes for Aboriginal young people and non-Aboriginal young people continues to persist in Victoria. The economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) have disproportionately impacted young people. While the overall unemployment rate in Victoria as at February 2021 had almost returned to parity with the February 2020 figure (5.6% and 5.2%, respectively), the unemployment rate for young people has risen significantly from 10.6% to 15.3% over the same period.

While official unemployment figures for Aboriginal Victorians are not available, government’s on-the-ground engagement reveals that Aboriginal young people have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. This is partly the result of concentrated employment in industries such as hospitality and events, cultural-based businesses, and trades, which have borne the brunt of the pandemic.

The Victorian Government has committed to employment initiatives that provide meaningful employment for Aboriginal young people. New initiatives like the Jobs Victoria Advocates program has a focus on ensuring Aboriginal outcomes are supported by engaging community groups and organisations to work with the Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions (DJPR).

Aboriginal self-determination is imperative to ensuring sustainable and culturally appropriate solutions. Programs like the Jobs Victoria Advocates are ensuring DJPR is actively applying a self-determined approach to supporting Aboriginal people into networks and supports that assist them with employment participation opportunities.

Minister responsible

The Hon James Merlino MP, Minister for Education, the Hon Gayle Tierney MP, Minister for Training and Skills and Minister for Higher Education, the Hon Jaala Pulford MP, Minister for Employment, Minister for Innovation, Medical Research and the Digital Economy and Minister for Small Business, with the supporting portfolio of Gabrielle Williams MP, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs.

Partnership with Indigenous Australians

In line with self-determination, DJPR established the Victorian Aboriginal Employment and Economic Council (the Council) in 2020. The Council provides economic leadership, strategic advice and ensures all policies and programs are developed in partnership with the Victorian Aboriginal community, consistent with the self-determination approach contained in the Victorian Aboriginal Affairs Framework 2018-2023 (VAAF).

The Council’s representation comprises both DJPR Executive Board members and 20 Aboriginal community members. These community members represent broad experience in employment and economic development in the areas of business and entrepreneurship, traditional owner economic development, education and skills development, creative industries, community development, tourism and young people. The Council is co-chaired by DJPR and community representatives. The Council membership brings together:

• DJPR’s Executive Board and other relevant executives from across the department and the VPS.
• 6 Aboriginal executive representatives from the standing Aboriginal community entities.
• 14 Aboriginal community members with individual experience in a range of areas including in part: employment and economic development in the areas of business and entrepreneurship, tourism and creative industries, employment and procurement, traditional owners and community development, education and skills development.

Actions

A full list of actions can be found at the table on the action list.

Target 8: By 2031, increase the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 25 – 64 who are employed to 62%

The VAAF acknowledges the centrality of economic opportunity and prosperity to improving outcomes – and commits to key principles including a principle around its approach to investment which states that “Investment to support self‑determination will be sustainable, flexible and appropriate to strengthen Aboriginal peoples’ aspirations and participation, including around economic participation, economic independence and building wealth”.

This shift to support longer term and more substantive investment in Aboriginal economic development will be intrinsically identified as part of this outcome. In so doing it is essential to focus on the investment in building and sustaining the requisite skills, expertise and leadership within the Aboriginal community to enhance capability for long term effects to Aboriginal prosperity and providing meaningful and sustaining employment opportunities.

Another element to economic prosperity is the critical element of providing and supporting jobs. Actions under this outcome focus on the facilitation of the inspirations, aspirations and initiatives of community priorities that support self‑determination of Victorian Aboriginal communities, shifting it away from delivering programs and initiatives focussed on disadvantage, and toward building capability. Self-employment is also a vital and viable alternative to traditional employment for many Aboriginal Victorians and supports sustainable economic outcomes. This is another key focus area for DJPR in working towards meeting this outcome.

One of the most important pieces of work currently underway is the development of the new Victorian Aboriginal Employment and Economic Strategy (VAEES). This strategy is scheduled to be launched in October 2021, replacing the lapsed Tharamba Bugheen: Victorian Aboriginal Business Strategy and Victorian Aboriginal Economic Strategy (VAES). The new VAEES will consider a longer term outlook that will provide a pathway for exploring how the Victorian government can support Aboriginal communities to be empowered for longer term self-sustaining and meaningful economic outcomes. This strategy will ensure a strong focus on employment that provides economic advantage to Victorian Aboriginal communities.

Other strategies such as the Victorian Public Service’s Barring Djinang, which focuses on initiates to enhance attraction, recruitment and retention of Aboriginal staff, the DJPR Aboriginal Career and Recruitment Strategy, and other government strategies identify the absolute need to invest in and adopt new practices and initiatives to support retention and attraction into employment opportunities within government agencies. Employment outcomes are a shared responsibility across government.

Aboriginal staff bring unique knowledge, skills and expertise to the workforce, including understanding the needs and aspirations of the Aboriginal community. Providing opportunities for increased workplace participation is key to building economic prosperity for Aboriginal Victorians.

Minister responsible

The Hon Jaala Pulford MP, Minister for Employment, Minister for Innovation, Medical Research and the Digital Economy and Minister for Small Business, with supporting portfolio of Gabrielle Williams MP, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs.

Partnership with Indigenous Australians

As per Outcome 7, DJPR actively engages with the community through and in partnership with the Victorian Aboriginal Employment and Economic Council (Council). This ensures a self-determined approach to our engagement, relationships, and program development. DJPR continues to support and engage with individuals, business, industry bodies and communities to advocate and support Aboriginal employment and inclusion through the roll out of funded initiatives to be outcomes focussed.

DJPR will continue to work with Aboriginal Community-Controlled Organisations, Traditional Owners, peak bodies and the community to ensure our programs are inclusive and actively addressing identified needs within communities, respecting the cultural nuances of each group. Through the forthcoming launch of the new Victorian Aboriginal Employment and Economic Strategy which will be developed in partnership with the Council, we will strengthen our commitment to drive economic participation and prosperity for Aboriginal Victorians.

Actions

A full list of actions can be found at the table on the action list.

Target 9: By 2031, increase the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in appropriately sized (not overcrowded) housing to 88%

In February 2020, the Victorian Government helped launch the Victorian Aboriginal Housing and Homelessness Framework Mana-na worn-tyeen maar-takoort: Every Aboriginal Person Has a Home (VAHHF). The VAHHF is the first of its kind in Victoria and sets out a blueprint to improve Aboriginal housing outcomes for Aboriginal Victorians by 2031.

In 2018-19, 9,837 Aboriginal Victorians accessed homelessness services, which equates to 17.2 percent of the Victorian Aboriginal population, according to the 2020 Victorian Government Aboriginal Affairs Report. This rate is 11.6 times higher than for non-Aboriginal Victorians. The national Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage report suggests overcrowding rates for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are decreasing. However, the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander people requiring housing support is an ongoing issue. Furthermore, the proportion of Aboriginal people living in overcrowded dwellings has steadily decreased since 2006, however it remains high, at 10.7% in 2016.

The VAHHF sets a clear direction to government on strategies to increase access to housing through both social and affordable housing, but also identifies pathways for home ownership, improved home security and reduced rates of overcrowding. Victoria is committed to reviewing and identifying opportunities to develop policy that supports increased outcomes for Aboriginal hone ownership.

The Closing the Gap target is slightly higher than the existing 87.6 percent reported for Victoria. It is likely that this target has since been met and that priority areas should be re-assessed in order to address current needs of Aboriginal Victorians. In addressing the Aboriginal social-economic disadvantage factors, housing stability is a fundamental factor to making the difference in people’s lives. Through the direction of the VAHHF governance mechanisms, Victoria’s Closing the Gap implementation plan sets out a targeted set of actions and outcomes to be achieved in addressing the housing needs of many Aboriginal Victorians.

A collective approach between government and the Aboriginal community is needed to ensure that the underlying principles set out in Closing the Gap implementation has identified the key priorities and approaches required to achieve the desired outcomes identified by community through the VAHHF.

Minister responsible

The lead minister responsible is the Hon Richard Wynne MP, Minister for Housing, with supporting portfolios from Gabrielle Williams MP, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs.

Partnership with Indigenous Australians

With the launch of the VAHHF framework in February 2020 was the establishment of a robust governance structure to oversee the VAHHF’s implementation. Three forums – Aboriginal Housing and Homeless Forum (AHHF), Implementation Action Group, and the Implementation Working Group, co-chaired between Aboriginal Housing Victoria’s CEO and Homes Victoria’s CEO – are used by Homes Victoria to make decisions with the support from the community.

Several key programs have developed as part of this arrangement, including:

• $35 million for Aboriginal maintenance and upgrades building works package that will deliver property upgrades to more than 2,000 long term social housing properties owned and managed by the Aboriginal community-controlled sector
• the More than a Landlord Program, and
• $4.2 million over 2 years for an Aboriginal Private Rental Assistance Program to support 950 households.

The announcement of the $5.3 billion Big Housing Build, 10% net social housing of the Victorian Big Housing Build allocated for Aboriginal housing presents an opportunity for Homes Victoria to deliver more housing for the Aboriginal community and to increase greater participation from Aboriginal organisations already delivering housing services.

Actions

A full list of actions can be found at the table on the action list.

Target 10: By 2031, reduce the rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults held in incarceration by at least 15%

Victoria introduced Aboriginal justice targets in 2012 committing to close the gap between the rates of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal adults under justice supervision (custodial and community-based) by 2031. Burra Lotjpa Dunguludja, Aboriginal Justice Agreement Phase 4 (AJA4) has clear milestones for how many fewer Aboriginal people need to be under justice supervision by the end of the Agreement (2023) in order to close these gaps by 2031.The Closing the Gap target is lower than the existing Victorian target committed to in 2012 and reflected in AJA4.

Victoria is currently tracking behind the AJA4 milestone which is to reduce the average daily number of Aboriginal adults under justice supervision by at least 344 between 2016-17 and 2022-23. This requires the average daily number of Aboriginal adults under justice supervision to decrease to less than 1,151 by 2022-23. In 2018-19 (the base year for the National Agreement on Closing the Gap target) the average daily number of Aboriginal adults under justice supervision was 1,682.

The majority of Aboriginal adults under justice supervision are male, but the number of Aboriginal women in contact with the justice system has increased over the past decade. On an average day in 2018-19 there were 204 Aboriginal women under corrections community-based supervision (a rate of 109.2 per 10,000) and 77 Aboriginal women in prison (41.2 per 10,000). The majority (58.4%) of Aboriginal women in prison were on remand. In 2018-19 there were 714 Aboriginal men under corrections community-based supervision (a rate of 384.6 per 10,000) and 687 in prison (370.1 per 10,000) on an average day

The over-representation of Aboriginal people in the criminal justice system is a complex and enduring issue. The VAAF explicitly recognises that the contemporary social and economic circumstances of Aboriginal people are inextricably linked to ongoing and previous generations’ experiences of European colonisation. Increasing Aboriginal over-representation in Victoria’s criminal justice institutions has the potential, in the absence of more appropriate responses, to further perpetuate social and economic exclusion, and compound losses of culture, family, and purpose, for a growing number of Aboriginal people.

The Department of Justice and Community Safety continues to work in partnership with the Aboriginal community through the Aboriginal Justice Agreement to address these issues. In addition to broader measures to reduce contact with the justice system, within the corrections system there are a range of initiatives designed to meet the needs of Aboriginal people and address the likelihood of reoffending. These initiatives are outlined in Attachment A.

Minister responsible

The lead minister responsible is the Hon. Jaclyn Symes, MP, Attorney-General, with supporting portfolios of the Hon. Gabrielle Williams, MP, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs; the Hon. Lisa Neville, MP, Minister for Police; and the Hon Natalie Hutchins, Minister for Crime Prevention, Corrections, Youth Justice, and Victim Support.

Partnership with Indigenous Australians

In Victoria, action to improve Aboriginal justice outcomes has been progressed through the Aboriginal Justice Agreement (AJA), a formal long-term partnership agreement between the Government and the Aboriginal community to work together to improve justice outcomes by addressing Aboriginal over-representation in the justice system and improving family and community safety. The AJA was developed in direct response to recommendations of the 1991 report of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody (RCIADIC) and subsequent 1997 National Ministerial Summit into Indigenous Deaths in Custody.

There have been 4phases of the AJA since 2000, with the current and fourth phase, AJA4 Burra Lotjpa Dunguludja, launched in 2018. The AJA is the longest-running agreement of its kind in Australia and has enabled the establishment of significant initiatives. Addressing over-representation is a complex problem requiring generational change – as such the AJA is a long-term strategy to be rolled out until the gap in the rate of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people under justice supervision is closed by 2031.

The community-government partnership structures of the AJA provide the strategic, governance and implementation mechanisms to shape and drive this change. These structures include:

• Aboriginal Justice Caucus comprises the Aboriginal community members of the Aboriginal Justice Forum. The Aboriginal Justice Caucus provides leadership, advocacy and drives continuous change to address the drivers of offending as well as system and programmatic reform across the criminal justice system.
• The Aboriginal Justice Forum brings together Aboriginal community leaders, senior government representatives, members of the judiciary and Commissioners for Victoria Police, Aboriginal Children and Young People and Equal Opportunity and Human Rights to oversee the development, implementation and direction of the Aboriginal Justice Agreement.
• Regional Aboriginal Justice Advisory Committees (RAJACs) and Local Aboriginal Justice Action Committees (LAJACs) advocate for and promote improved Aboriginal justice outcomes and initiatives by bringing together key Aboriginal community members and justice agencies in each region.

Actions included in Burra Lotjpa Dunguludja were developed in a collaborative process with Aboriginal community partners to identify initiatives to contribute to the achievement of Burra Lotjpa Dunguludja outcomes.

Actions

A full list of actions can be found at the table on the action list.

Target 11: By 2031, reduce the rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people (10-17) in detention by at least 30%

The number of Aboriginal children and young people under Youth Justice supervision has decreased by 40% between 2016-17 and 2019-20 and by 25% in the last year alone. Between 2008 and 2018, the number of Aboriginal young people processed by police as unique alleged offenders decreased by 31.5%.

Victoria is ahead of the more ambitious target (than the national one) set out in Burra Lotjpa Dunguludja, Aboriginal Justice Agreement Phase 4 (AJA4) to reduce the over-representation of Aboriginal children in youth justice and close the gap. The AJA4 milestone is to reduce the average daily number of Aboriginal young people aged 10-17 years under youth justice supervision by at least 43 young people from 2016-17 to 2022-23. This equates to a target decrease in the average daily number of Aboriginal young people from 134 in 2016-17 to 91 by 2022-23. There were 81 Aboriginal young people aged 10-17 under Youth Justice supervision on an average day for 2019-20, ahead of these targets.

Victoria has one of the lowest rates of Aboriginal young people under custodial or community supervision in the country. Custodial supervision rates have fallen from 21.7 Aboriginal young people per 10,000 population (aged 10-17 years) in 2016-17 to 15.3 Aboriginal young people per 10,000 in 2019-20. Community supervision rates have fallen from 115.67 Aboriginal young people per 10,000 population (aged 10-17 years) in 2016-17 to 70.7 per 10,000 in 2019-20.

The Closing the Gap target of a 30% youth detention rate reduction by 2031 is lower than the existing Victorian target committed to in 2012 and reflected in the AJA4. Victoria’s targets more accurately reflect the Victorian Aboriginal community’s aspirations for change and support the Coalitions of Peaks’ advocacy for more ambitious national targets. In 2020-21 the Minister for Youth Justice introduced a target in the 2020-21 State Budget Paper 3 to drive further reductions in the numbers of 10 to 17 year-old children in custody.

Victoria remains focused on maintaining these results and reducing these numbers further to address over-representation and achieve no gap by 2031. Several programs and services have been funded to support achievement of this goal in partnership with the Aboriginal community and underpinned by efforts to further Aboriginal self-determination. These investments and programs are set out in the tables that follow.

Minister responsible

The lead minister responsible is the Hon. Natalie Hutchins, Minister for Youth Justice, with her supporting portfolios of Crime Prevention, Corrections, and Victim Support. Other supporting portfolios which are signatories to the Aboriginal Justice Agreement are the Attorney-General, the Hon. Jaclyn Symes, MP; Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, the Hon. Gabrielle Williams, MP; and Minister for Police, the Hon. Lisa Neville, MP.

Partnership with Indigenous Australians

As with Target 10, partnership arrangements for Target 11 are enshrined in Burra Lotjpa Dunguludja, the Aboriginal Justice Agreement Phase 4 (AJA4). AJA4 is a formal long-term partnership agreement between the Government and the Aboriginal community to work together to improve justice outcomes by addressing Aboriginal over-representation in the justice system, improving family and community safety, and supporting Aboriginal self-determination.

The community-government partnership structures of the AJA provide the strategic, governance and implementation mechanisms to shape and drive progress towards targets, and include the Aboriginal Justice Forum (AJF), the Aboriginal Justice Caucus, and the Regional Aboriginal Justice Advisory Committee (RAJAC) network. The Youth Collaborative Working Group oversights implementation of relevant youth justice actions in AJA4, including the development of new initiatives. This ensures that Aboriginal leadership and partnership with government is embedded at all levels of the Agreement and provides transparency and accountability for actions back to the AJF.

DJCS funds Aboriginal organisations to deliver key services and supports for young people in the youth justice system or at risk of entering it. These Aboriginal-led services are helping to close the gap

Actions

A full list of actions can be found at the table on the action list.

Target 12: By 2031, reduce the rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care by 45%

Aboriginal children are significantly overrepresented in the child protection system and care systems. Victoria has the country’s second highest rate of Aboriginal children in care. In 2019-20, the rate of Aboriginal children in care services was 20 times the rate for non-Aboriginal children in care. This is the highest rate of over-representation in any jurisdiction and well above the national rate (11 times the rate of non-Aboriginal children).

Recognising the need to address this in 2018, parties to the tripartite Wungurilwil Gapgapduir: Aboriginal Children and Families Agreement (Wungurilwil Gapgapduir) agreed through the Aboriginal Children’s Forum (ACF) to a set of key performance indicators to address the over representation of children in child protection and care systems.

These key performance indicators are used to the develop the quarterly data report provided by the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing to the ACF members; they complement the existing agreed targets made through the VAAF.

All objectives and agreed key performance indicators contribute to the overall aim of Wungurilwil Gapgapduir which is, that all Aboriginal children and young people thrive and live in culturally rich and strong Aboriginal families and communities. Victoria has developed initiatives to reform the child protection system guided by the commitment to increase Aboriginal self-determination by transferring decision-making, resources and responsibility to Aboriginal organisations.

Victoria has a range of parenting and family services in place to promote children’s safety, stability and healthy development and learning from pre-birth up to 18 years and to support children to remain safely at home. This includes intensive responses aimed at preventing entries to care.

The introduction of the Victorian and Aboriginal Family Preservation and Reunification Response (the Response) in 2020, is changing the way services are delivered, providing culturally led, evidence-informed and outcomes-focused support to children and families, in partnership with child protection services to:

• keep children safely at home
• prevent children and young people entering care services
• support children and young people currently in care to safely reunify with their family.

The response aims to engage families early providing intensive family support to prevent children entering child protection or return children home.

Minister responsible

The minister responsible is the Hon Luke Donnellan, MP, Minister for Child Protection, Disability, Ageing and Carers.

Partnership with Indigenous Australians

At the 2015 Aboriginal Children’s Summit, it was agreed a quarterly ACF would be established to focus on the priorities articulated in Koorie Kids: Growing Strong in their Culture (Koorie Kids). From June 2018, the forum transferred focus from Koorie Kids to oversight and monitoring of the implementation of Wungurilwil Gapgapduir.

ACCOs are the majority members and hold the most voting rights in relation to critical decisions, which includes but is not limited to membership and changes to the structure of the ACF. The hosting of the quarterly ACF is shared between all funded ACCOs, and where possible held on the traditional lands of the hosting ACCO. A representative of the hosting ACCO co-chairs the ACF with the Secretary of the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing on the first day of the forum and the Victorian Minister for Child Protection on the second day.

An ACF working group has been established to set the agenda for the ACF, make key recommendations on membership and progress actions of the ACF. The ACF working group includes the Victorian Aboriginal Children and Young People’s Alliance (representing their ACCO membership), the Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency (VACCA), the Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare (representing their community service organisation membership), the Commissioner for Aboriginal Children and Young People and the Victorian Government.

The ACF has advocated for a number of key initiatives in the Aboriginal children and families sector, including Aboriginal Children in Aboriginal Care, Transitioning Aboriginal Children to ACCOs and the development of Wungurilwil Gapgapduir.

Actions

A full list of actions can be found at the table on the action list.

Target 13: By 2031, the rate of all forms of family violence and abuse against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and children is reduced at least by 50%, as progress towards 0

Family violence has a disproportionate impact on Aboriginal people in Victoria, particularly women and children, regardless of whether they live in rural, regional or urban areas. Family violence is not part of Aboriginal culture and it is also important to note that family violence against Aboriginal people is perpetrated by people from all backgrounds.

In 2020, 3,642 Aboriginal women in Victoria were victims or survivors of family violence incident attended by Victoria Police, an increase from 3, 076 in 2016. However, we know that family violence is under-reported and that based on the experience of ACCOs, is likely to be significantly higher. COVID-19 poses additional family violence concerns, and thus further challenges to progressing toward Outcome 13.

While data alone cannot provide a holistic picture of the complexities faced by Aboriginal Victorians experiencing family violence, these figures do demonstrate the importance of a an appropriately resourced, culturally safe and responsive specialist family violence service, as well as the need for a targeted approach to reducing the incidence of family violence through early intervention and prevention.

While data alone cannot provide a holistic picture of the complexities faced by Aboriginal Victorians experiencing family violence, these figures do demonstrate the importance of a culturally safe and responsive family support service, as well as the need for a targeted approach to reducing incidences of family violence through early intervention and prevention.

The Royal Commission into Family Violence reported the disproportionate impact of family violence on Aboriginal people, especially women and children, and the unique barriers that Aboriginal people face in accessing culturally appropriate service responses that meet their needs and aspirations.

The royal commission also acknowledged Dhelk Dja: Safe Our Way – Strong Culture, Strong Peoples, Strong Families 2018-2028 as foundational work in family violence policy, and it made nine recommendations specific to Aboriginal communities to increase investment in targeted prevention and early intervention initiatives, as well as culturally sensitive services.

Minister responsible

The minister responsible is Gabrielle Williams MP, Minister for Prevention of Family Violence, Minister for Women and Minister for Aboriginal Affairs.

Partnership with Indigenous Australians

Dhelk Dja is the key Aboriginal-led Victorian agreement that commits Aboriginal communities, Aboriginal services and government to work together and be accountable for ensuring that Aboriginal people, families and communities are stronger, safer, thriving and living free from family violence.

The Dhelk Dja Partnership Forum and its members are the individual and collective champions and strategic leaders that oversee the agreement. Aboriginal community leaders and the Victorian Government work closely with the community and stakeholders to refine the Aboriginal-led agenda for culturally safe responses to family violence and to advance the strategic priorities and monitor progress against the Dhelk Dja agreement.

Ensuring the principles of self-determination are at the heart of the Dhelk Dja Partnership Forum’s work, there are a number of associated Aboriginal community-led governance structures in place:

• Aboriginal Caucus comprises the Aboriginal community members of the Dhelk Dja Partnership Forum, responsible for priority setting including Aboriginal led-prevention responses for women and children, men, Elders and those who use violence.
• Eleven Dhelk Dja Action Groups across Victoria provide place-based, Aboriginal community-led approaches to drive local action to prevent and address family violence in partnership with key community stakeholders.
• Dhelk Dja Priority Sub-Working Groups track progress and outcomes against each strategic priority through the development of the Dhelk Dja Monitoring, Evaluation and Accountability Plan.
• The Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation Family Violence Sector Forum, comprises of Chief Executive Officers of all family violence funded Aboriginal organisations and provides a formal engagement and consultation mechanism under the auspice of the Dhelk Dja Partnership Forum to support the development of culturally safe services and responses for Aboriginal people impacted by family violence.

The Dhelk Dja Three Year Action Plan articulate the critical actions and supporting activities required to progress the agreement’s 5 strategic priorities. Each of these priorities recognise the need to invest in Aboriginal culture, leadership and decision-making as the key to ending family violence in Victorian Aboriginal communities.

In addition, Family Safety Victoria are strengthening Aboriginal frontline family violence services through the design and implementation of the Dhelk Dja Fund, the Aboriginal Family Violence Industry Strategy and other key activity during 2021.

An Aboriginal Data Mapping and Data Needs project has commenced to support baseline understanding of Aboriginal family violence and build the evidence base for prevention and intervention. The defined data, indicators and measures developed will support annual reporting to the Dhelk Dja Partnership Forum and inform strategic decision-making and priority setting.

Actions

A full list of actions can be found at the table on the action list.

Target 14: Significant and sustained reduction in suicide of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people towards 0

Many Victorian Aboriginal people and their communities are strong and rich in their culture. However, Aboriginal people generally experience significantly poorer mental health, wellbeing and safety outcomes than non-Aboriginal people. The legacy of trans-generational trauma and experiences of systemic racism and discrimination are key drivers of these poorer outcomes. It is important that Aboriginal Victorians have access to Aboriginal-led services that are appropriately resourced and trained to respond to mental‑health care needs, as well as culturally informed mainstream services that understand Aboriginal concepts of social and emotional wellbeing.

‘Social and emotional wellbeing’ is the term preferred by many Aboriginal Australians to describe the social, emotional, spiritual, and cultural wellbeing of a person (Henderson et al. 2007). While acknowledging mental health as a critical area of wellbeing, social and emotional wellbeing emphasises the importance of individual, family and community strengths and resilience, feelings of cultural safety and connection to culture, and the importance of realising aspirations, and experiencing satisfaction and purpose in life.

This is a significant time for Aboriginal communities with the Victorian Government committed to Aboriginal self-determination. The Balit Murrup: Aboriginal social and emotional wellbeing framework 2017-2027 embeds Aboriginal self-determination as the core principle to drive actions to improve the social and emotional wellbeing, resilience and mental health of Aboriginal people, families and communities. The objective of Balit Murrup is to reduce the health gap attributed to suicide, mental illness and psychological distress between Aboriginal Victorians and the general population.

The release of the Royal Commission into Victoria's Mental Health System final report in March 2021, with its 65 recommendations, will drive many actions needed to reform Victoria’s mental health system. The Victorian Government has committed to implementing all 65 recommendations including specific recommendations to support Aboriginal social and emotional wellbeing.

By supporting Aboriginal people, families and communities to achieve and sustain the highest attainable standards of social and emotional wellbeing and mental health, the Victorian Government, Aboriginal organisations and Aboriginal communities will aim to prevent and reduce the incidence of suicide.

Minister responsible

The minister responsible is the Hon James Merlino MP, Minister for Mental Health with supporting portfolios from Gabrielle Williams MP, Minister for Women and Minister for Aboriginal Affairs.

Partnership with Indigenous Australians

Aboriginal leaders, organisations, people, families, carers, and communities were instrumental in sharing their individual and collective experiences of pain, trauma and resilience as part of the Royal Commission into Victoria's Mental Health System . The final report also acknowledged the significant contribution of the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO), in developing the Balit Durn Durn report, which informed the work of the royal commission.

In 2020, Mental Health Reform Victoria (MHRV) and the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO) formed the VACCHO-MHRV Partnership. The VACCHO-MHRV Partnership is planning co-design activities to strengthen Aboriginal social and emotional wellbeing. This partnership with its focus on supporting Aboriginal self-determination is critical to the successful delivery of all the royal commission’s Aboriginal and social and emotional wellbeing recommendations.

Actions

The Victorian Government is working with Aboriginal organisations and communities to implement key actions from Balit Murrup, including the:

• Improving mental health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People with moderate to severe mental illness (Demonstration Projects) initiative.
• Aboriginal mental health traineeship program.
• Aboriginal clinical and therapeutic mental health positions.

Key actions from the Royal Commission into Victoria's Mental Health System interim report to be progressed under VACCHO-MHRV Partnership include:

• Establishing and expanding multidisciplinary social and emotional wellbeing teams in Aboriginal community-controlled health organisations.
• The delivery of scholarships to enable Aboriginal social and emotional wellbeing team members to obtain recognised clinical mental health qualifications from approved public tertiary providers, with a minimum of 30 scholarships awarded over the next 5 years.
• A Centre for Excellence in Social and Emotional Wellbeing to be developed, hosted and maintained by VACCHO.
• Resourcing Infant, Child and Youth Area Mental Health and Wellbeing Services to provide Aboriginal children and young people to access specialist mental health services and family-oriented therapeutic treatment.
• Resourcing Aboriginal community-controlled health organisations to commission the delivery of social and emotional wellbeing services for children and young people.
• Co-designing the future establishment of two healing centres
• Working with an Infant, Child and Youth Area Mental Health and Wellbeing Service to design and establish a culturally appropriate, family‑oriented service for infants and children who require intensive social and emotional wellbeing supports.

A full list of actions can be found at the table on the action list.

Target 15a: By 2030, a 15% increase in Australia’s landmass subject to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s legal rights or interests

Target 15b: By 2030, a 15% increase in areas covered by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s legal rights or interests in the sea

The Victorian Government recognises that Aboriginal Victorians hold distinct cultural rights, including the right to maintain their spiritual, material and economic relationship with their traditional lands and waters. The connection to land, water and resources on Country is important to the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal Victorians, particularly Traditional Owners. Reconnecting Traditional Owners to Country will help revive culture and contribute to an improved sense of identity.

The current legislative regimes aimed at recognising and providing for these land rights and interests are based on Australian legal principles. Aboriginal Victorian concepts of rights to land and water are inherently different to the way that the Australian legal system has recognises these rights. In particular, Aboriginal concepts of Country are connected to traditional laws, culture and identity. The interdependence of land, water and identity for our Aboriginal Victorians and Traditional Owners means that notions of land and water rights are also inherently linked to aspirations for broader self-determination on country.

Whether Traditional Owner groups choose to seek a determination of native title, Traditional Owner Settlement Act agreement, or both, is for them to self-determine.

Subject to each Traditional Owner group determining their own course, it is ambitious but feasible to anticipate all of Victoria being covered by Aboriginal legal rights and interests by 2030.

The table below sets out the progress that would be required to meet that target.

Minister responsible

The Attorney-General, Hon Jaclyn Symes MP, is the minister responsible for this outcome, with supporting portfolios of the Hon Lisa Neville MP, Minister for Water and the Hon Lily D’Ambrosio MP, Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change.

Partnership with Indigenous Australians

Victoria works with First Nations Legal and Research Services, a Traditional Owner organisation with statutory responsibility to identify native title groups and act as solicitor for some of those groups. This includes work with negotiation teams nominated by native title groups and corporations nominated or appointed to represent the groups’ interests. The State’s role is to support and respond to those claims or negotiations.

For the targets and indicators set out in this outcome, the Aboriginal Justice Group in the Department of Justice and Community Safety has proposed a formal partnership with First Nations Legal and Research Services to agree the targets and process for monitoring and amending the targets.

Victoria is committed to implementation of Victoria’s modernised Regional Forest Agreements (agreed 2020) in partnership with Victoria’s Traditional Owners. Victoria’s Regional Forest Agreements now clearly recognise the relationship of Traditional Owners with Country including forests. Several new clauses that Traditional Owners were involved in drafting have been incorporated throughout the agreements and reflect Traditional Owner rights and aspirations. The modernised Regional Forest Agreements drive:

• genuine and meaningful partnership with Traditional Owners to support the protection and management of Country, foster sustainable land, water and forest management practices, and maintain continuation of spiritual and cultural practices;
• involvement of Traditional Owners in decision-making, and the active incorporation of Traditional Owner knowledge when making decisions regarding management of forests; and
• assessment and evaluation of outcomes relating to matters of importance to Traditional Owners in 5-yearly reviews.

Across Victoria, many Traditional Owners groups have published their Whole of Country Plans as a means of expressing their people’s vision, aspirations, strategies, actions and threats for land and water management. Whole of Country Plans provide guidance for government to understand and engage with the rights and interests of Traditional Owners. The state provides support for the use and delivery of these plans through whole of government strategies such as the VAAF and the Aboriginal Self-Determination Reform Strategy 2020-2025 along with departmental policy such as the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning’s Pupangarli Marnmarnepu 'Owning Our Future': Self Determination Reform Strategy 2020-2025.

The ability to conduct cultural fire practice on Country is a vitally important approach to restoring the health of Country and people, particularly in a changing climate. The Victorian Government is committed to enabling Traditional Owners to implement their own cultural pathways to the establishment of this practice in Victoria by reducing legislative and procedural barriers to this cultural practice and building the capacity of Traditional Owner corporations so they can lead this practice. Many Traditional Owner corporations have natural resource management field staff available for contracted government works, which provides economic opportunity while caring for Country. Other economic benefits explored by Traditional Owner groups include renewable energy, bush foods and native plant propagation.

Victoria also provides funding to support Traditional Owner groups to capture information about their tangible and intangible cultural values and manage that information so that it can shape decisions about the management of Victoria’s state forests. Traditional Owner groups will have information sovereignty, meaning that they will control their information and knowledge, including making decisions about what is shared with the Victorian Government.

The Victorian Aboriginal Water Program is working to inform water management policy and decision-making, supporting Aboriginal access to water for economic development, and increasing Aboriginal inclusion and participation in Victoria’s water sector.

Actions

A full list of actions can be found at the table on the action list.

Target 16: By 2031, there is a sustained increase in number and strength of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages being spoken.

Past government policies of dispossession and assimilation led to loss of Aboriginal cultural practice and languages. Despite this, the strength and resilience of Aboriginal Victorians has helped to preserve cultural practices and languages, which continue to be practised and passed onto future generations. Connectedness to culture and community strengthens individual and collective identities, and promotes self-esteem, resilience and improved outcomes for Aboriginal people. While cultural identity is central to the lives of Aboriginal Victorians, all Victorians should celebrate and take pride in Aboriginal culture and language.

There are currently 38 Aboriginal languages in Victoria, all classified as reclamation languages, with extremely small numbers of, or no remaining, community speakers. Programs to support the teaching and learning of Aboriginal languages for children and adult learners is essential to increase the number of community language speakers and contributing to the language revival process.

The teaching of Aboriginal languages in schools and early childhood services is supported in Marrung: Aboriginal Education Plan 2016-2026 through action 2c. to (increase) the number of Koorie language programs in Victorian kindergartens and schools, by supporting community efforts at language learning through working with VAEAI and the Victorian Aboriginal Corporation for Languages, and providing assistance to support Koorie community members to undertake relevant language and teacher training courses (Marrung, p.18).

The number of Aboriginal language programs offered in Victorian government schools has increased from 8 in 2016, to 17 in 2019. This increase has been supported by the introduction in 2016 of the Victorian Aboriginal Languages curriculum in the Victorian Curriculum Foundation-10.

In 2019, the Early Childhood Language Program was launched which provides funding to kindergartens to provided language programs. To date, 18 kindergartens have received funding through this program to provide Aboriginal language programs.

Victoria also aims to promote and preserve First Peoples’ Languages in Victoria through engaging with Traditional Owners about place names on Country and helping promote the significance of language, place, and culture through a range of initiatives. In 2019, Victoria collaborated with Traditional Owners, organisations and communities across Victoria on a range of activities to support the use and revival of Aboriginal languages including through:

• Sponsoring the River of Language exhibition at the Melbourne Museum.
• Delivering Aboriginal Place names workshops across Victoria to promote the importance of recognising traditional place names when assigning names to roads, features and localities.
• Working with Traditional Owners to name meeting rooms across metropolitan and regional office locations.

Through embedding Aboriginal language in Victorian schools, Victoria can reclaim and preserve Aboriginal languages in the next generation of Victorians. Paired with the ongoing initiatives that promote Aboriginal language throughout the wider Victorian community, Victoria can continue to increase the number, strength and knowledge of Aboriginal languages.

Minister responsible

Supporting portfolios of the Hon Gayle Tierney MP, Minister for Training and Skills, the Hon James Merlino MP, Minister for Education, and Ingrid Stitt MLC, Minister for Early Childhood.

Partnership with Indigenous Australians

The Victorian Aboriginal Education Association Incorporated (VAEAI), the Victorian Aboriginal Corporation for Languages (VACL), the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) and the Victorian Department of Education and Training work in close partnership to ensure the teaching of Aboriginal languages in schools and early childhood services is culturally safe and respectful of Traditional Owners.

Actions

A full list of actions can be found at the table on the action list.