Ministers statements: Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency
Lizzie BLANDTHORN (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Disability, Ageing and Carers, Minister for Child Protection and Family Services) (12:35): I am delighted to update the house on the work the Andrews Labor government is doing to reduce the over-representation of Aboriginal children and young people in care. Last week I joined the member for Preston in the other place in visiting the Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency at their head office on Bell Street, Preston. It was wonderful to tour their head office and meet staff from across the different services that VACCA offer Aboriginal families, children and young people, from supported playgroups, family support and their Nugel program, just to name a few. I thank the teams for the insights they shared with me on their day-to-day work. Particularly I thank Aunty Muriel Bamblett and her leadership team for the warm welcome and discussion of VACCA’s extensive work to support Aboriginal families, children and young people. Each team showed such delight and pride in the difference they are making to Aboriginal children and families, and it is a tribute to VACCA’s leadership for the energy and passion within their office. I also appreciated the opportunity to hear about VACCA’s role in delivering the largest ever single investment to continue and expand the Aboriginal-led service system, $140 million in the 2023–24 state budget.
I most enjoyed having the opportunity to meet VACCA’s Nugel team, who are authorised to take full responsibility for Aboriginal children and young people in the child protection system through the Aboriginal children in Aboriginal care program. The Nugel program is achieving greater cultural connection for Aboriginal families and improved reunification rates, a tribute to its success. At the end of the tour I was informed of a meeting occurring just that afternoon to prepare for the Community Protecting Boorais pilot, an Aboriginal-led child protection investigations pilot commencing this year. As those in this chamber would be aware, the ability for this meeting to occur is courtesy of the bipartisan way we were able to pass the statement-of-recognition bill earlier this year. I thank all of those in the chamber for their support of this bill and in particular Dr Bach for the way we worked together on this bill. We are able to make real change when the child protection and family services system is above politics.