Aboriginal Health and Wellbeing Partnership Forum
Sheena WATT (Northern Metropolitan) (09:46): Closing the gap requires an all-of-community effort, bringing together experts, leaders and organisations that will fight to fix our state’s healthcare system so that First Nations Victorians can access it in a fair and equitable way – something that I am deeply committed to. Last week I headed to Geelong in Wadawurrung country to attend the Aboriginal Health and Wellbeing Partnership Forum, where leaders of the First Nations community came together with departments, experts and others, including the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency, to talk about the issues so that we can make some desperately needed progress. The forum was led by Jill Gallagher, the CEO of the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation. Can I just thank them for the invitation to come along and talk a little bit about racism in healthcare settings and what it is that we can do to work together to break that down and smash it for good, including the work that I am leading as part of the Anti-Racism Taskforce. Can I also thank the members of that group that did share with me some of their very heartfelt disappointments on a recent loss in custody, an Aboriginal death in custody that has occurred in this state, and reconfirm to you all that I too take this very seriously. I send my condolences to their families and loved ones and thank them for sharing that with me, and I will continue to fight.