VACCHO advocates for strength-based approaches to improving the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Our federal election platform is based on our guiding principles of Culture and Kinship, Our Choice Our Way, and Knowledge and Innovation.

VACCHO calls on all major parties to consider the following recommendations in order to strengthen the health and wellbeing outcomes of all Aboriginal communities:

• • Improve access to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander data, and facilitate the repatriation of sovereign Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander data sets to build an evidence base platform to inform policy reform measures to further improve the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
  • Immediately invest in expanding and improving infrastructure of Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations to further enhance service delivery.
  • Immediate investment in addressing Aboriginal health workforce shortages.
  • Improve access to National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) plans & funded supports, whilst enhancing capability to increase the utilisation of supports outlined in existing NDIS plans for Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander people living with disability and/or mental health disorders.
  • Reduce the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home-care (OoHC)
  • Raise the Age of criminal responsibility across the Commonwealth from 10 to 14 years of age.
  • A new Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander aged care pathway.
  • Expand Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Aged Care Assessment Services.
  • Longer term block funding for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander aged care services.
  • Lower the age to access the pension for older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Read more in our election platform here.