Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO) (Health, Housing and Education)

The Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO) is the peak body for Aboriginal health and wellbeing in Victoria, with 33 Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations as Members. VACCHO Members support over 25,000 Aboriginal people in Victoria, and combined are the largest employers of Aboriginal people in the state. This submission shows how colonisation and discriminatory government policies and systems caused substantial harm and that there is a clear line from that harm to the poorer health and wellbeing outcomes of Aboriginal people living in Victoria today. It also shows how current policies are still contributing to poorer health and wellbeing among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in Victoria, and preventing Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations from serving Community to the fullest. It also makes recommendations to transform systems.