Posted by VACCHO Communications Team on 25 November 2020
Tags:Victorian State Budget,COVID-19,coronavirus,Aboriginal-led,Aboriginal and or Torres Strait Islander,ACCO,Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation,VACCHO,Jill Gallagher,DHHS,Victorian Department of Health and Human Services,Victorian Government,Aboriginal health
Victorian Aboriginal families have received a major boost in this year’s State Budget with much needed investments in housing, infrastructure, and getting people back to work following the state’s crippling second wave of coronavirus.
Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO) CEO Jill Gallagher AO also welcomed the Victorian Government’s investments to reduce representation of Aboriginal children in care and further support for our Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCOs) across the state.
Delivering more than $357 million for Victorian Aboriginal communities, Budget highlights included:
- $86 million to reduce representation of Aboriginal children in care and continue to support self-determination for Aboriginal Victorians.
- $40 million for ACCOs to establish a Community-led service delivery fund to support health and social services.
- $21 million to better incorporate Aboriginal values and expertise into water management and to continue to protect cultural heritage.
- $14 million to create two new Aboriginal Community Infrastructure Program funding rounds. Grants will support projects that are a priority to Aboriginal communities, creating jobs for Aboriginal Victorians and restoring connection with Country.
- $20 million to advance the Treaty process between Aboriginal Victorians and the State Government.
- $23 million to deliver immediate, culturally safe support to Victorian Aboriginal communities across health, human services and Aboriginal affairs portfolio programs during the pandemic and support critical recovery efforts.
- $16 million to decriminalise public drunkenness with specific mention of expanding ACCOs.
Ms Gallagher said the $35 million committed by the Victorian Government in May this year for Aboriginal housing was also much needed and would be used for vital repairs, refurbishments and new builds for Victorian Aboriginal communities.
In keeping with self-determination of Aboriginal Victorians, the $35 million package will be delivered by a consortium of 18 ACCOs led by Aboriginal Housing Victoria.
Ms Gallagher also applauded the recently announced $5.3 billion Big Housing Build, which will deliver more than 12,000 new homes across the state over four years to boost Victoria’s social housing supply.Ten per cent of these new homes are earmarked for the Aboriginal community.
“Aboriginal people already experience higher rates of homelessness than the general community, but Victorian Aboriginal people have the highest rates of homelessness of any Aboriginal population in Australia,” Ms Gallagher said.
“That’s why this announcement is so welcome.”
Mental health is another key focus in this year’s State Budget as the state begins its recovery towards a new COVID normal.
Nearly $870 million has been allocated to mental health funding in the Budget, including $4.4 million to improve culturally appropriate support for Aboriginal Victorians.
During the pandemic, Aboriginal communities and the State Government have worked closely to support Aboriginal communities, including the work of the COVID-19 Aboriginal Community Taskforce. VACCHO and our 32 ACCOs have also met 16 times with State and Federal Governments since March at our regular health sector forums to discuss the COVID-19 response.
Ms Gallagher also noted that the budget in May will have a focus on mental health with the handing down of the final report of the Mental Health Royal Commission in early 2021.
“This year has been one of the hardest years many of us have ever experienced and to only reach 74 positive cases of COVID-19 in our Communities is testament to the importance of Aboriginal community control,” Ms Gallagher said.
“For too long Aboriginal people have fallen through the cracks of a fragmented and culturally unsafe mental health system.
“This year’s Budget investments in the health and wellbeing of Victorian Aboriginal communities are to be applauded as we look to rebuild a broken mental health system that has failed to meet our needs for many years.
“For the first time in history, Aboriginal leaders, organisations, people, families, carers and Communities have been given the opportunity to have their voices and experiences included in a redesign of the state’s mental health system through the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System.”
Ms Gallagher praised the Andrews Government for its steadfast commitment to the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria and advancing Treaty.
As well as $20 million in funding for the First Peoples’ Assembly to negotiate Treaty on behalf of Aboriginal Victorians, a new campaign will be delivered to further build collective understanding amongst all Victorians about the importance of the Treaty process.
Ms Gallagher said this was another important step in raising awareness of the plight of our First Peoples in Victoria.
Ms Gallagher said one disappointing aspect of the State Budget was the lack of investment in suicide prevention. Based on their data trends, the Coroners Court of Victoria’s Koori Unit is forecasting that the Victorian Aboriginal suicide rate will increase by 10-15 per cent on the 2019 figure.
“VACCHO called on the State Government in September 2020 to invest in culturally safe and suitable suicide prevention and postvention for Aboriginal communities with many losses during the pandemic from mental health issues,” Ms Gallagher said.
“The $21.4 million tagged for expanding suicide prevention and followup care (mainstream) is only devoted to the HOPE program and will not be the culturally safe and ACCO led response we want to see.
“VACCHO will continue to work with both the State and Federal Government to see a proportion of mainstream funding going to Aboriginal communities as part of the implementation of the Closing the Gap agreement."
