I am pleased to present the Dhelk Dja 3 Year Action Plan (2023-2025).
The Dhelk Dja 3 Year Action Plan outlines five priority areas to support Dhelk Dja’s vision of ensuring Aboriginal people are culturally strong, safe, and self-determining, with families and communities living free from violence. These priority areas have been identified by Aboriginal community members and represent the collective knowledge, strength and voices of Victorian Aboriginal communities.
The Plan also represents the Victorian Government’s continued commitment to the Dhelk Dja 10 Year Agreement and to working in genuine partnership with Aboriginal communities. It recognises the important role of Aboriginal community leadership in delivering culturally safe and appropriate responses to prevent and address family violence.
Since the Royal Commission into Family Violence, the Victorian Government has substantially increased our investment in ACCOs delivering family violence services – with a ten-fold increase in funding to ACCOs between 2017–18 and 2022–23. In 2022–23 family violence funding provided to ACCOs represented approximately 12 per cent of total family violence funding across prevention, early intervention, crisis response and recovery.
We have strengthened formal partnerships and shared decision-making, and for the first time have undertaken an Agreement Making Process between Dhelk Dja Koori Caucus and responsible departments in developing this action plan.
This process demonstrates a strong commitment for departments to work with the Dhelk Dja Koori Caucus as members of the Dhelk Dja Partnership Forum to drive implementation across the five priority areas over the next three years.
The Plan also aligns strongly to Victoria’s commitment to deliver on Target 13 of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap – By 2031, the rate of all forms of family violence and abuse against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and children is reduced at least by 50%, as progress towards zero.
I thank members of the Dhelk Dja Partnership Forum for their ongoing advocacy, time and commitment in bringing Dhelk Dja to life. I also thank all members of the Dhelk Dja Action Groups and Aboriginal community members who, along with Aboriginal services, contribute
to achieving the aspirations in the Plan.
As ever, thanks and gratitude goes to all those victim-survivors who have been able to contribute to this important work. I look forward to continuing to support this partnership to deliver on the commitments in the Dhelk Dja 3 Year Action Plan and working towards improved outcomes for Aboriginal communities.
Vicki Ward MP
Minister for Prevention of Family Violence
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