AMAV VICDOC Winter 2024 - Magazine - Page 22
OUR PURPOSE IS TO BE A STRONG VOICE FOR
THE ABORIGINAL COMMUNITY CONTROLLED
HEALTH SECTOR IN VICTORIA.
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This includes advancing the commitments
under the National Agreement on Closing
the Gap. It has four priority reforms, each
crystal clear in what the government must
do. We spend a lot of time working on
the second priority reform; building the
community controlled sector. This was a
commitment to transfer resources and power
across to Aboriginal Community Controlled
Organisations (ACCOs). ACCOs have
boards elected from a membership of local
Aboriginal community members, so they
operate within a governance model of local
community control. We have 33 of these
services in Victoria, collectively making
up VACCHO's membership. Our job
at VACCHO is to support our member
organisations to remain strong and
sustainable, and we are a fearless
advocate for their aspirations.
THE NATIONAL AGREEMENT ON CLOSING THE
GAP AND THE TRANSITION OF RESOURCES
AND POWER TO THE ABORIGINAL COMMUNITY
CONTROLLED SECTOR IS WHAT'S OWED AFTER
THE RECENT HISTORY OF THIS COUNTRY.
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PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION REPORTS SHOW
THE MACHINERY OF GOVERNMENT IS NOT
RECOGNISING AND RESPONDING TO THE
MANDATE OF THE NATIONAL AGREEMENT
ON CLOSING THE GAP.
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Too often, government support is
fragmented, short-term, and subject to
overly prescriptive and controlling terms
and conditions. ACCOs are constantly
caught between accountability to their
community and the siloed and inefficient
machinery of government. When ACCOs
are provided with flexible and consolidated
funding to pursue their self-determined
aspirations, their outcomes are incredible.
They develop innovative models of care
based on trust and cultural safety, where
high quality medicine is combined with
wraparound support to address the social
determinants of health. It’s a strengthsbased approach, with multidisciplinary
teams providing family-oriented,
trauma-informed, integrated health
and social services.
AT VACCHO, WE’VE BEEN CHANGING
NARRATIVES ABOUT ABORIGINAL HEALTH.
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The narratives about Aboriginal health
that you’re most likely familiar with
The violent impact of colonisation
are characterised by an overwhelming
dismantled the preconditions for health
emphasis on deficits. Low income, low
and wellbeing in Aboriginal Communities.
health literacy, complex trauma, coThe National Agreement recognises what
morbidities, and so on. It’s an utterly
is owed to Aboriginal Communities in
disempowering way of talking about
the effort to restore that stolen prosperity.
– and to – Aboriginal people. It’s also
In healthcare, Aboriginal people need to
misleading. The reality is that people are
lead that restoration, and that’s embodied
aspirational. Year on year, more reasons
in community controlled services.
emerge for Aboriginal people to embrace
Unfortunately, government needs constant
reminding of that mandate, and of the clarity and celebrate their identity. We’re seeing
a real hunger for connection, community,
of its commitments under the Agreement.
and belonging. That’s an incredibly
They are still trying to dictate the terms of
powerful source of strength, from which
their relationships with ACCOs, and it’s
we’re developing optimistic narratives of
undermining the practice of community
control. So, in some areas progress has stalled. health and wellbeing.
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