In 2022 we established a new division focusing on Aboriginal self-determination and outcomes. This division aims to elevate First Peoples’ leadership and ensure cultural safety is embedded in our workplaces, policies, programs, projects and services. This division leads us to centralise Aboriginal voice and ways of knowing, being and doing in our decision making policy and program design and policy and program implementation.
Significantly, this embedding of Aboriginal self-determination will be shaped by the outcomes of the Yoorrook Justice Commission. This commission is Victoria’s formal truth-telling inquiry and the first of its kind in Australia. The commission will continue until June 2025. It may propose changes to laws, institutions and systems, which may be taken up through Treaty negotiations. We are mindful not to pre-empt the outcomes of the commission or the Treaty process. But we recognise the importance of genuine transferring of decision-making power back into the hands of First Peoples. Our reform approaches need to be bold. They need to focus more on system transformation and less on piecemeal change to the existing system.
Demand for government support will increase in the coming years as:
- Victoria’s population grows and ages
- cost-of-living pressures rise
- large-scale emergency events become more frequent and severe due to climate change.
We also recognise that individuals, children, families and communities may not be affected by these trends in the same way. Many Victorians already experience multiple, intersecting forms of disadvantage. These may persist or become worse if they cannot access culturally appropriate, timely and tailored support. Population needs also vary across the state, with many communities facing local challenges that require place-based approaches. We will look to:
- prevent and reduce widening inequities
- listen to evolving community expectations and needs
- stop early signs of hardship.
We also recognise the influential role in policy leadership that we can play by supporting an intersectional lens across government and equipping all departments to meet Victorians’ diverse needs.
Our role as the steward of Victoria’s housing and social services systems will also be front of mind in the medium to long term. This will ensure we can meet increased demand for homes and support and maintain service continuity in sectors undergoing significant reform.
As economic, social and environmental challenges persist, housing and community sector providers must stay well supported to deliver the care Victorians need, in the right way, at the right time and in the right place. A significant part of these efforts will focus on ensuring we can:
- attract, train, retain and equip the workforces that deliver vital programs and services
- create inclusive organisational cultures that make us an employer of choice
- support our funded agencies to do the same.
We cannot meet future demand for government supports without staff who are empowered to deliver outcomes for Victorians across the state.
Our department plays a unique and vital role in the lives of many individuals, families and communities, often during times of crisis or disadvantage. We are committed to fostering strong families, neighbourhoods and support networks that prevent harm before it occurs. We strive to help Victorians when and where they need us most. To achieve this, our current environment will require us to:
- coordinate more effectively both within and outside of our department
- develop new partnerships and models for collaboration with our communities
- ensure our technologies and processes stay efficient and fit for purpose.
We are committed to reflecting on our progress since our department was established in 2021. We will engage in continuous learning to continue to serve Victorians as the state’s outlook changes.