Premier

Funding Boost To Continue Closing The Gap

24 June 2021

Victoria is leading the way on Closing the Gap, using self-determined solutions to tackle Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander disadvantage.

The Victorian Government is delivering an additional $5 million to support reaching the targets in the National Agreement on Closing the Gap, to improve the lives of Aboriginal people

The new funding builds on the $3.3 million announced in 2020, when Victoria became the first state or territory to provide funding to the National Agreement on Closing the Gap.

This funding has been vital to making some of the significant progress highlighted in the Victorian Government Aboriginal Affairs Report 2020 possible.

The annual report tracks Victoria’s progress in improving health, education and other outcomes for and with Aboriginal people, the 2020 report shows significant improvements for Aboriginal Victorians in many areas.

These improvements include early education where more than 99 per cent of Aboriginal children are enrolled in four-year-old kindergarten.

Progress has also been made in preventative healthcare finding that more than 96 per cent of Aboriginal children have received the required vaccinations by five years of age.

Further to this, progress has been made in land management where there has been a 60 per cent increase from 2019 to 2020 in the number of cultural burns, highlighting the critical role of Traditional Owners in fire management

But while outcomes are improving for Aboriginal Victorians, there is still a long way to go.

Work is underway for the Victorian Government Aboriginal Affairs Framework Data Dashboard, to provide easy access to detailed information on how outcomes for Aboriginal Victorians are tracking – ensuring continuous improvement, access to information and transparency.

The additional funding is part of the Labor Government’s record investment of $448 million in Aboriginal Affairs in the 2021/22 Victorian Budget.

For more information about report, visit aboriginalvictoria.vic.gov.au/vgaarExternal Link .

Quotes attributable to Minister for Aboriginal Affairs Gabrielle Williams

“We have made significant progress towards closing the gap for Aboriginal Victorians over the past year, including our nation-leading work on treaty, truth and justice – but there is still a lot of work to do.”

“We’re working with Aboriginal people to achieve change and ensure a healthy, safe, and thriving future.”

Quote attributable to Ambassador for Closing the Gap Christine Couzens

“We’re achieving better outcomes for Aboriginal Victorians by empowering Aboriginal community-controlled organisations to take a leadership role in driving change.

Reviewed 24 June 2021

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