Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation Inc

20/08/2025

***EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT***

VACCHO is proud to announce the 2nd Victorian Aboriginal Elders Summit, after an amazing inaugural Summit held in 2023.

Mark your calendars!
🗓️ 28 - 29 October, 2025
📍 Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, Naarm (Melbourne).

Stay tuned for more announcements to come - including some exciting special guest appearances!

18/08/2025

As the years tick by since the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, many of the recommendations remain relevant and hold the answer to these avoidable, tragic deaths.

The prison system disproportionately impacts Aboriginal people and continues to fail them in the provision of culturally safe and clinically adequate health and wellbeing care.

VACCHO knows that placing healthcare in Aboriginal hands for Aboriginal people in custodial settings will break cycles of harm. Through holistic, culturally appropriate health and wellbeing care, we can meet the needs of Aboriginal people in custody.

Read out position statement on Strengthening Aboriginal Health Care in Custodial Settings here: https://cdn.intelligencebank.com/au/share/NJA21J/Ezoy3/vk0EW/original/2025_+Strengthening+Aboriginal+Health+Care+in+Custodial+Settings

Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit) Australia and Thirrili - Indigenous Su***de Postvention Service are calling for urgent action following the death of Warlpiri man Kumanjayi White, who died in police custody after being forcibly restrained by two non-uniformed officers inside a supermarket in Alice Springs in May 2025.

Read the full media release: https://shorturl.at/orX4I

15/08/2025

From 1 November, the Australian Government will roll out the Support at Home program, merging the current Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP) and Home Care Packages system.

While the Government says this will simplify aged care, the reality is that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander old people and Elders will face new financial barriers to the essential care they rely on to live healthy and well, stay culturally safe and be independent at home.

Under the new rules:
🚨 Elders will be forced to pay co-contributions for essential non-clinical services like meals, cleaning, transport, and personal care – costs that could reach up to $150 per week.
🚨 The redress given to Stolen Generations will be part of the ‘income’ assessment undertaken to determine co-contribution levels.
🚨Aboriginal Elders could face up to an extra 15 years of fees and co-contributions for aged care services compared to the rest of the population- and without having access to superannuation

This is unacceptable. Our Elders deserve better. These reforms contradict the Government’s commitment to Closing the Gap in health and life expectancy.

VACCHO has started a petition calling on the Australian Government to ensure all reforms uphold the Closing the Gap commitments to equity and self-determination AND accept and implement all the recommendations from the Transforming Aged Care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people report.

Stand with our Elders and have your voices heard.

For more information and to sign our petition demanding fair, equitable and culturally safe aged care head to > https://chng.it/RshCQTs5sq

For more information see our Aged Care Position Statement > https://cdn.intelligencebank.com/au/share/NJA21J/dGwYA/JY9yg/original/2025_Updated+Position+Statement+-+Aboriginal+Aged+Care+Reforms

14/08/2025

🎓 Reminder scholarships for Aboriginal Health Workers and Practitioners close tomorrow!

VACCHO, in partnership with the Department of Health, is offering scholarships of up to $4,000 to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers and practitioners in their professional development.

Whether it’s tuition fees, travel, education equipment, or child minding support - these scholarships are designed to remove the financial barriers to ongoing learning.

Apply here > https://www.vaccho.org.au/aboriginal-health-worker-training-scholarship/

📅 Applications close 15 August 2025.

09/08/2025

🎓 Scholarships Now Open for Aboriginal Health Workers and Practitioners

VACCHO, in partnership with the Department of Health, is offering scholarships of up to $4,000 to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers and practitioners in their professional development.

Whether it’s tuition fees, travel, education equipment, or child minding support - these scholarships are designed to remove the financial barriers to ongoing learning.

Apply here > https://www.vaccho.org.au/aboriginal-health-worker-training-scholarship/

📅 Applications close 15 August 2025.

07/08/2025

Today we celebrate the National Day of Recognition for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers and Practitioners.

Each and every day around Australia, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers and practitioners are changing lives. We see it through our work at VACCHO, through our Members and their Communities.

Aboriginal health workers and practitioners are the backbone of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander healthcare in Victoria, who work tirelessly to help nurture thriving, healthy Communities.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers walk alongside Mob, offering care that goes far beyond clinical expertise.

They have the cultural expertise as well as the clinical skills which together helps to provide culturally safe care for our people.

They carry knowledge systems that predates Western medicine by tens of thousands of years, blending cultural wisdom with modern health practices.

And yet, their work remains largely unrecognised.

We celebrate the achievements and evolution of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Worker and Health Practitioner workforce, because these health professionals are not just part of the workforce, they are the cultural heartbeat of our health system.

VACCHO is offering scholarships for Aboriginal Health Workers and Practitioners to support one year of professional development activity. Learn more and apply here > https://www.vaccho.org.au/aboriginal-health-worker-training-scholarship/

04/08/2025

This Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day, we’re throwing it back to our favourite memories at the Family Portrait Sessions, where we celebrated the strength and diversity of Aboriginal families.

It was a deadly day full of laughter, connection, and unforgettable moments.
Captured by our amazing photographer, James Henry, the day brought Mob together to celebrate the strength of family.

And what better soundtrack for the day than "Families are Forever", a heartfelt song written by Tony Lovett alongside family and friends.

Children’s Day is a time to honour the identity and strength of our boorai and to celebrate the bright futures they hold. This year’s theme, Little Footsteps, Big Future, celebrates the journeys our children take as they grow, guided by Culture, family, Community, and connection to Country.

The Family Portrait Sessions was hosted by VACCHO’s Centre of Excellence for Aboriginal Families Wellbeing, committed to supporting the rights and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families across Victoria.

Thank you to everyone who joined us and made it such a special day!

04/08/2025

"Our children are our Elders of the future. Our future leaders. They are born with inherent rights and responsibilities to protect Country, songlines, languages, rituals and Kinship relationships.

Understanding these elements of lore are not only essential for the continuation of our nations but are essential to our sense of belonging and social and emotional wellbeing.

Today on National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day I reflect that in Victoria we are close to embarking on this country’s first Treaty. A profound opportunity to right the wrongs and set a new foundation that heals families and Communities from the acts of genocide towards our people."

Read the full piece written by Sheree Lowe here > https://www.vaccho.org.au/2025/08/04/opinion-national-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-childrens-day-little-footsteps-big-future/

02/08/2025

VACCHO provided a submission responding to the consultation paper on the Pricing Framework for Australian Home Aged Care Services 2026–2027.

One of our key concerns is the structural disadvantage Aboriginal people will face under the proposed changes, particularly the requirement to pay income-tested fees and co-contributions for aged care services from 1 November.

While non-Indigenous Australians people typically access superannuation around the same time they become eligible for aged care services, many Aboriginal people will face up to 15 years of requirements to pay fees and co-contributions for aged care services without having access to these retirement savings.

This creates a serious equity gap that must be addressed.

We urge IHACPA to act on its commitment to equity by providing detailed, scenario-based costing advice for full exemptions from aged care fees and co-contributions for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Read the full submission:
https://cdn.intelligencebank.com/au/share/NJA21J/dGwYA/qZr6p/original/2025_VACCHO+Submission+to+IHACPA+%E2%80%93+Pricing+Framework+for+Australian+Support+at+Home+Aged+Care+Services+2026%E2%80%9327

01/08/2025

Aboriginal Communities have long traditions of caring for one another, but broken and fragmented systems have made that much harder for our Mob than it should be.

VACCHO has been working with the Victorian Government and on Tuesday it was announced that we have secured funding that will help ACCOs provide much needed support to unpaid carers who are providing vital care within their families.

We know there is more to do but this is a good step forward to support our Aboriginal families.

The Allan Labor Government is backing grassroots initiatives that support unpaid carers – with grants available for projects that boost social connections and open up work and study opportunities.Minister for Carers and Volunteers Ros Spence today opened applications for the 2025 Connecting Carers...

01/08/2025

Hey Mob! Some good news if you're saving up to buy a house

The Victorian Homebuyer Fund (VHF) has been extended and is expected to run until 30 August 2025 (or later, depending on funding).

✅ Minimum 3.5% deposit
✅ 35% co-contribution for eligible Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander homebuyers

More info
https://aboriginalhomeownershiphub.org.au/learn/home-ownership-schemes-available

FYI when the VHF wraps up, the Federal ‘Help to Buy’ initiative will step in:
🔹 5% deposit required
🔹 Up to 30% co-contribution for existing homes
🔹 Up to 40% co-contribution for new builds

Learn about the financial assistance options available to you...

01/08/2025

VACCHO CEO, Aunty Jill Gallagher and Yoorrook deputy Chair and Commissioner, Travis Lovett had a yarn with Britian's public broadcaster, the BBC, about the Yoorrook Justice Commission's final report and findings.

"I am so proud that we were able to educate people on the other side of the world all about this historic report that documents the atrocities that were committed against our people." Aunty Jill Gallagher

The interview begins at 28 minutes.
Listen to the full interview here > https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w173067ts0dvdl9?partner=uk.co.bbc&origin=share-mobile