The Western Australian Government is committed to working with Aboriginal people for better social, economic, health and cultural outcomes. This will be most effective if the state government’s agencies are all united by a shared strategic vision.

All parts of our society, and not just the state government, have a role in improving these outcomes. It is nevertheless important for state agencies to have a clear common direction and consistent logic.

This discussion paper begins with a description of the engagement and research that has guided the state government’s thinking so far.

The main body of the paper proposes some key elements for the strategy, describing how these would contribute to the overall goal.

• Putting culture at the centre;
• Bringing decisions closer to communities;
• Enabling Aboriginal-led solutions;
• Investing more in preventative and early-intervention initiatives;
• Boosting economic opportunities; and
• Building cultural understanding and respect.

The paper goes on to outline the framework that the strategy will fit into, including governance, implementation, accountability, measurement, evaluation and review.

Lastly, the paper describes the next steps in developing the final strategy, which is expected to be released in early 2020.