Overview
It is important that Aboriginal Victorians can access culturally safe and culturally responsive health services when they need it – whether this is from an Aboriginal organisation or a mainstream service.
Measures under Goal 13 have worsened
Only one measure has new data under goal 13; Measure 13.1.3 Hospitalisations where patients left against medical advice/were discharged at own risk.
More Aboriginal people are leaving hospital against medical advice in 2025.
Closing the Gap – Relevant Outcomes and Targets for Goal 13
The National Agreement does not contain outcomes and targets that align with this VAAF goal. Victoria is pursuing more ambitious and comprehensive goals under the VAAF, which are reported on in this chapter and the Data Dashboard.
Closing the Gap - How Victoria is tracking nationally
Not applicable.
Data Note
The following measures rely on datasets that are infrequently collected. No new data was available at the time of reporting.
- Measure 13.1.1 Proportion of Aboriginal Victorians who experienced racism in the last 12 months and did so in a health care setting
- Measure 13.1.2 Proportion of Aboriginal Victorians reporting positive client experience of GP services
- Measure 13.1.4 Number and proportion of Aboriginal people employed in the health or social services sector
Historical data for this measure is available on the First Peoples – State Relations website
13.1 Increase the cultural safety and responsiveness of services
Measure 13.1.3 Hospitalisations where patients left against medical advice/were discharged at own risk
What does the data say?
In 2024–25, 1,388 Aboriginal patients left hospital against medical advice. This represents 21.1 patients per 1,000 Aboriginal people leaving hospitals against medical advice.
Does the data show improvement or decline?
There were 313 more Aboriginal patients leaving hospital against medical advice in 2024-25 than in 2023–24. The rate of discharges against medical advice has also increased by 4.8 patients per 1,000 Aboriginal people in the same time period.
Since 2015–16, the number of Aboriginal patients leaving hospital against medical advice has gone up by 910. In the same period, there were 12.9 more patients per 1,000 Aboriginal people leaving hospital against medical advice.
Both the short- and long-term increase in number and rate of hospital discharges against medical advice mean a decline in results.
How does this compare with non-Aboriginal results?
In 2024–25, there were 18,805 patients left hospital against medical advice. This represents a rate of 3.1 patients per 1,000 non-Aboriginal people. There has not been large change in the rate of non-Aboriginal patients leaving hospital against medical advice in either the short or long term.
In 2024-25, Aboriginal people were 6.9 times more likely to leave hospital against medical advice than their non-Aboriginal peers.
Aboriginal Women’s Health Clinic (WHC)
SDRF enabler 2: Address racism and promote cultural safety
The Aboriginal WHC is a dedicated health service for Aboriginal women in Victoria and is delivered by First Peoples' Health and Wellbeing, an ACCHO. Between October and December 2025, the Aboriginal WHC supported eight Aboriginal women to access the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTOP) service. The Aboriginal WHC delivers culturally safe, trauma-informed and client-led reproductive health care, addressing barriers that Aboriginal women often experience when navigating mainstream health systems.
One client, an Aboriginal woman, accessed the MTOP service via the 1800 MYOPTIONS referral pathway. At the time of referral, the client had no local support networks and required assistance to attend diagnostic appointments to confirm gestation prior to proceeding with a termination of pregnancy. Recognising the complex social and logistical barriers faced by the client, the Aboriginal WHC provided coordinated, wrap-around support aligned with the clinic’s culturally safe model of care.
Due to the flexibility and uniqueness of the service model, the Aboriginal WHC was able to provide transport to ultrasound and pathology appointments, ensuring continuity of care and minimising the need for multiple face-to-face visits. Care was delivered in a culturally safe and trauma-informed manner, with emotional support provided throughout the process. Client-led counselling occurred organically during transport with the midwife, initiated by the client and guided by her needs. Following receipt of diagnostic results, the Aboriginal WHC facilitated electronic prescribing of medications and provided clear instructions, enabling timely access to care.
The client expressed significant gratitude for the service, highlighting the importance of practical support, minimal appointments and culturally safe care during a vulnerable time. This case study demonstrates the effectiveness of the Aboriginal WHC’s model in reducing access barriers, strengthening autonomy and delivering holistic reproductive health care for Aboriginal women.
Goal 13 – Victorian Government Investment and Action
Cultural safety
Department of Health’s Performance Monitoring Framework (PMF)
DH’s PMF provides for public health services to be assessed against core Victorian Government priorities. Where a health service is assessed as not progressing agreed priorities, the health service becomes subject to enhanced performance monitoring arrangements, including a higher level of engagement with the department and a requirement to develop and implement performance improvement plans.
Performance priorities include the provision of culturally safe services for First Peoples in Victoria. For example, a mandatory goal has been established for all health services to ‘deliver high-quality cultural safety training to all executives and staff using independent, expert, community-controlled organisations or a registered Aboriginal business’.
DH is currently working with VACCHO to develop a cultural safety e-learning package that will be made available to all public health services statewide. In addition, health services are encouraged to complement e-learning with to face to face training sourced from local ACCOs or registered Aboriginal businesses.
DH has also put in place strategies to improve performance measurement and oversight for both cultural safety and equitable access for First Peoples to services more broadly. DH regularly discusses results with health services. Where a given health service has significant gaps in performance, the expectation is for health services to have clear improvement plans in place.
Ambulance Victoria’s (AV) Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP)
AV’s RAP provides a vision for reconciliation and how AV will build strong, sustainable and meaningful relationships with First Peoples. The RAP continues to increase awareness and appreciation of culture and elevate the voices of AV’s Aboriginal staff, patients and communities, to improve their experience and outcomes with AV.
Activities delivered in 2025 include:
- Transition to Innovate RAP - AV launched its second RAP, the Innovate RAP (July 2025 – June 2027) in partnership with the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service and VACCHO. This plan sets out a clear roadmap to strengthen cultural safety in pre-hospital care, increase workforce cultural competency and deepen partnerships with Aboriginal-led organisations.
- Strengthen cultural safety and engagement – AV continued engagement with the Aboriginal Health and Wellbeing Partnership Forum; co-designed culturally safe care pathways with ACCHOs; and expanded cultural learning programs for AV staff, including the introduction of mandatory cultural safety learning modules from 2025.
- Workforce initiatives - The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Employment Specialist role progressed the development of a sustainable employment program, focusing on recruitment, retention, and professional development. Targets for Aboriginal employment were embedded in AV’s People Plan for 2025–26.
- Community health initiatives - AV continued partnerships with VACCHO and ACCHOs to deliver life-saving training and health literacy programs tailored for Aboriginal communities. These initiatives aim to improve cardiac arrest survival and empower communities to make informed health decisions.
- Governance and accountability - AV’s Innovate RAP includes strengthened governance measures, with quarterly reporting to Reconciliation Australia and oversight by AV’s Reconciliation Working Group. This ensures transparency and alignment with statewide commitments under the SDRF.
Aboriginal workforce
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Workforce
DH’s Workforce Strategy and Planning (WSP) branch continues to work with the Aboriginal Health and Wellbeing (AHW) Division, VACCHO, and sector representatives to increase the number of Aboriginal people working in the health sector.
In 2024-25, DH undertook a review of health workforce training and development investment to identify opportunities to improve Aboriginal workforce development supports. As a result, DH invested in the following initiatives to commence in early 2026:
- Australian Institute of Company Directors scholarships to support board readiness
- Scoping and piloting of a governance learning and development program through VACCHO
- Scoping of a mentorship program design through VACCHO.
These programs aim to increase the focus on governance and inform and engage future leaders in governance conversations whilst delivering capacity-building programs.
These initiatives are working towards bring Aboriginal perspective to strategic board decisions and influencing and organisations culture to ensure a culturally safe and appropriate environments for the aboriginal health workforce over the longer term.
Aboriginal Mental Health Traineeship program
The Aboriginal Mental Health Traineeship program is a workforce program from the Balit Murrup Aboriginal Social and Emotional Wellbeing Framework 2017-2027. The traineeship program provides First People trainees with full-time employment in Area Mental Health and Wellbeing Services while undertaking a funded three-year Bachelor of Health Sciences (Mental Health) degree through Charles Sturt University. Trainees are offered full-time ongoing employment with their health service upon graduation.
In 2024-25, three trainees completed their degree and commenced employment. Since the traineeship program was established in 2017, a total of 15 trainees have graduated from the traineeship program to become qualified Aboriginal Mental Health Clinicians..
Koori Mental Health Liaison Officers
In 2024-25, 10 Koori Mental Health Liaison Officers working in Infant, Child and Youth Area Mental Health and Wellbeing Services supported the cultural safety of Aboriginal children, young people and their families when accessing acute mental health services. Eleven Koori Mental Health Liaison Officers continue to support adults in accessing culturally safe care in adult area mental health and wellbeing services.
Aboriginal Social and Emotional Wellbeing Scholarship Program
The Victorian Government continues to invest in the Aboriginal Social and Emotional Wellbeing Scholarship Program, in partnership with VACCHO, Deakin, RMIT and Latrobe universities. Since its establishment in 2022, the program has awarded a total of 70 scholarships.
There were 17 scholarships awarded in 2024-25, with the program supporting Aboriginal students to undertake undergraduate and post-graduate qualifications in mental health related disciplines. The program is helping meet the growing demand for qualified and skilled Aboriginal staff to work in social and emotional wellbeing teams and in the mainstream mental health sector and is having a positive impact on recipients.
Research
Empowering Aboriginal communities to conduct research
DJSIR has funded VACCHO to investigate Aboriginal medical research priorities and foster community research skills. The project will engage with ACCOs and community members across the State to ensure that research priorities align with the diverse values and needs of First Peoples in Victoria.
Through workshops and networking opportunities, VACCHO will foster collaborative learning and knowledge exchange among ACCOs. This will empower ACCOs across the state to lead and conduct medical research projects that address Aboriginal community priorities.
marra ngarrgoo, marra goorri: The Victorian Aboriginal Health, Medical and Wellbeing Research Accord
The 2024/25 State Budget included $4.5 million to support VACCHO to implement marra ngarrgoo, marra goorri (the Accord). The Accord was launched by VACCHO in October 2023 and aims to improve the ethical standards of Aboriginal health, medical and wellbeing research in Victoria so that they align with Aboriginal principles of self-determination. The Victorian Government has endorsed the Accord and is working in partnership with VACCHO to support its implementation.
Funding guidelines from the most recent round of the mRNA Victoria Research Acceleration Fund (grants announced in July 2025) and Round 8 of the Victorian Medical Research Acceleration Fund (opened in December 2025) strongly encouraged applications from organisations that have endorsed the Accord to enable culturally safe research practices.
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