This audit assessed the accessibility of mainstream services such as hospitals, maternal and child health services, schools and kindergartens, and community and public housing for Aboriginal Victorians, and found little improvement in outcomes.

Summary

The Victorian Aboriginal population was around 47 000 at the 2011 census, making up around 0.9 per cent of the overall population. Aboriginal Victorians experience considerable disadvantage compared to the non-Aboriginal population, with higher perinatal mortality, higher disability rates and lower literacy and numeracy outcomes.

The Victorian Aboriginal Affairs Framework 2013–18 (VAAF) outlines criteria to apply to service design and delivery to ensure that services are accessible, and a set of targets relating to closing the gaps and ensuring that Aboriginal Victorians receive equitable access to mainstream services.

This audit assessed the accessibility of mainstream services such as hospitals, maternal and child health services, schools and kindergartens, and community and public housing for Aboriginal Victorians.

The audit found little improvement in outcomes, and in some cases, the gap has worsened. However, access to hospitals, maternal and child health services, housing services and kindergarten has improved. An absence of effective leadership and oversight has affected mainstream service delivery over many years. The Secretaries’ Leadership Group on Aboriginal Affairs is responsible for overseeing implementation of VAAF and has not been effective. Without strengthened oversight and improved collaboration between departments, VAAF will not be implemented effectively and its intended outcomes are not likely to be achieved.