Overview

During community engagement for the Victorian Aboriginal Affairs Framework 2018-2023 (VAAF),
Aboriginal Victorians told us government alone can't hold itself accountable for spending and outcomes in Aboriginal affairs. They told us that government, Aboriginal organisations and government-funded organisations must be held accountable to community, by community.

What would an Aboriginal-led evaluation and review mechanism do?

The VAAF commits to establishing an Aboriginal-led evaluation and review mechanism to track government’s progress against the VAAF. This includes evaluating and reviewing:

  • government’s efforts to achieve the goals, objectives and measures set out in the VAAF
  • government action to enable Aboriginal self-determination.

Aboriginal Victorians will lead the design process

Aboriginal Victorians will:

  • help decide the design principles for the mechanism
  • lead the design of the mechanism, including its function, scope, membership and governance
  • develop the mechanism’s terms of reference in partnership with government.

Read the Discussion Guide

The Discussion Guide gives you all the information you need to make decisions around the design of the mechanism. It includes the same questions as the online survey below.
Discussion Guide 1
PDF (972.84 KB)
Discussion Guide 1
MS Word (3.18 MB)

Join the conversation

There are many ways you can have your say on the mechanism. You can:

Complete an online survey

Complete the online survey below by 31 March 2019.

Attend a regional conversation near you

Dates and locations of the regional conversations are on this website. There's no need to RSVP. These conversations are open to Aboriginal community members, Aboriginal organisations, Traditional Owner Groups, other organisations delivering services to Aboriginal Victorians, and government departments.

Meet with us

You can meet with us one-on-one or in a group, at a time and location that is convenient and comfortable for you, including face-to-face, videoconference or teleconference. To arrange a time, call Bonnie Matheson on
(03) 9651 2166 or Julia Braybrooks on (03) 9651 2177.

Provide a written submission

Individuals and organisations are invited to send us written submissions. These will open on the website in mid-April after the regional conversations finish.

Three broad options for a mechanism

During VAAF community engagement in 2018, Aboriginal Victorians proposed three broad options for a mechanism. We want to know what you think of these options. While these options provide a good starting point for conversation, they may change as discussions with community continue. Community may also suggest a mix or elements of these options.

Option 1

Independent statutory body
Option 2

Community-led, place-based mechanism
Option 3

Existing Aboriginal accountability mechanism
An impartial and independent body which is given functions, powers and duties through legislationAboriginal Victorians take on the new Aboriginal-led evaluation and review role in their local communitiesAn existing mechanism takes on the new Aboriginal-led evaluation and review role
Example: Koorie Ombudsman, Aboriginal-led "watchdog" data agency or Aboriginal Productivity CommissionExample: Community assembly or Cabinet, Aboriginal committee, council or panel, Elders' voice or family-based governance groupExample: Aboriginal Executive Council or other existing Aboriginal governance group/s

Online survey

If you're using a computer, please drag from the left column to the right column to rank in order of priority.

  1. Majority support for the mechanism among Aboriginal Victorians who participate in community engagement throughout 2019. #
  2. Majority Aboriginal membership. #
  3. Independent of government. #
  4. Power to hold government accountable. #
  5. Has or will have sufficient resources (human, physical, financial, data) to fulfil its functions. #
  6. Avoids unnecessary duplication with other investigative authorities, official bodies and statutory officers. #
  7. Enables and supports metropolitan and local participation and “grassroots” community representation. #
  8. Has a balance of relevant skills and/or experience and gender representation. #
  9. Has systems that make it accountable to Aboriginal communities. #
Are you Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander?
Gender

If you would like to receive a copy of the survey outcomes, please press 'follow' in the pop-up banner after submitting your survey.

Privacy collection notice

The Victorian Government is committed to protecting the information we collect. Your personal information and the details of your correspondence will be dealt with in accordance with the Public Records Act 1973 and the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 (Vic).

Your feedback will be reviewed by Aboriginal Affairs Policy Branch, Department of Premier and Cabinet (DPC), and may be published publicly in part or in full. You / your organisation will not be identified in any publication without your permission, and you can request to access your information any time.