Monitoring and accountability for the delivery of Implementation Plan actions
The Partnership Forum on Closing the Gap will be responsible for monitoring the delivery of the Implementation Plan actions. Regular updates will be provided by Partnership Forum members on steps taken to implement the actions, including each action’s delivery and evaluation status, and anticipated timelines for completion.
To ensure accountability and transparency, the action details set out in Appendix 2: Priority Reform actions and Appendix 3: Socio-economic target actions include information about which departments and agencies will lead and support the delivery of each action. Departments and agencies will work closely with Ngaweeyan Maar-oo members on the delivery of each action, including establishing appropriate governance and engagement arrangements to facilitate effective collaboration on their delivery.
Clear lines of accountability will enable the Partnership Forum to provide effective strategic oversight for the delivery of the Implementation Plan over its five-year lifespan.
Reporting on the Implementation Plan
Under the National Agreement, all jurisdictions are required to report annually on their progress towards meeting their commitments under the National Agreement and Implementation Plans. Currently, Victorian progress on Closing the Gap is reported through the annual VGAAR. The VGAAR also reports against the Victorian Aboriginal Affairs Framework (VAAF), which includes a wide range of goals and measures beyond those in the National Agreement.
While this reporting approach meets the requirements detailed in the National Agreement, we have heard from Community leaders and Aboriginal organisations that the current approach has not been effective in ensuring that Aboriginal Victorians have clear and accessible information about how the Victorian Government is working to close the gap.
To address these concerns, the Victorian Government will publish a dedicated Closing the Gap Annual Report (Annual Report) that clearly outlines how we are progressing delivery of the Implementation Plan actions and Victoria’s commitments under the National Agreement. We will work in partnership with Ngaweeyan Maar-oo to ensure that information presented in the Annual Report is clear and accessible and that it meets Community expectations for effective monitoring and accountability for the delivery of the Implementation Plan’s commitments.
The Annual Report will focus on the delivery of Implementation Plan actions and programs. It will also outline the findings of program evaluations and identify opportunities for learning and improvement, so that we can establish a strong foundation to guide the development and delivery of future Implementation Plan actions.
The Annual Report will complement the Productivity Commission’s reporting on Victoria’s progress on Closing the Gap targets, and the VGAAR’s reporting on VAAF measures. In the Treaty era, the Victorian Government’s broader accountability to Aboriginal Victorians for how it makes decisions that affect their lives will be overseen by Gellung Warl and Nginma Ngainga Wara.
This approach will ensure that the information published in the Closing the Gap Annual Report is clear and discrete, and that the reporting burden for Aboriginal organisations and government bodies is kept to the minimum necessary to ensure effective accountability.
Evaluating Implementation Plan actions
Evidence-based evaluation of actions delivered under the Implementation Plan is vital to ensuring continuous improvement in Victoria’s approach to achieving the goals of the National Agreement. By assessing the effectiveness and impact of Implementation Plan actions in collaboration with Aboriginal organisations, we will identify what changes are needed to continue delivering better outcomes for Aboriginal Victorians.
To enable greater State accountability for programs and policies impacting Aboriginal people, actions in this Implementation Plan will be evaluated in accordance with Recommendation 3 of the Yoorrook for Justice report. This recommendation requires that monitoring and evaluation processes are consistent with Aboriginal people’s values and reflect Aboriginal people’s priorities for what is measured and how it is measured.
The results of all evaluations of Implementation Plan actions will be publicly reported through the Closing the Gap Annual Report. For each action, the approach to evaluation will be designed and implemented concurrently. Evaluation will not be retrospective – it will be integrated into the delivery of each action.
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