Victoria’s Partnership Forum on Closing the Gap Implementation

Partnership Forum Information Pack – accessible version

• Overview

  The Victorian Government is committed to partnering with the Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation (ACCO) sector, formally recognised Traditional Owner Groups and existing Aboriginal governance forums to implement the National Agreement on Closing the Gap (National Agreement). The National Agreement sets out best practice partnership principles that all signatories have agreed to support implementation of Closing the Gap.

  In alignment with the National Agreement, the Victorian Government will establish a new Partnership Forum on Closing the Gap Implementation (Partnership Forum). The Partnership Forum is intended to be government’s formal partner for decision making on Closing the Gap implementation.

  The Department of Premier and Cabinet (DPC) has engaged Aboriginal-led consultancy, Karabena Consulting Trust, to facilitate an independent, community-led process to determine sector representatives for the Partnership Forum.

• Partnership Forum membership

  The membership of the Partnership Forum will comprise:

  • Sector representatives (as determined by the sector)
  • Aboriginal governance forum delegates (as nominated by the relevant governance forum)
  • Senior departmental executives.

  Sector representatives

  Sector based membership is required to cover National Agreement targets and action areas. This will include a representative ACCO from each of the following sectors:

  • Health*
  • Social and emotional wellbeing
  • Education/skills
  • Economic development/employment
  • Housing
  • Justice/youth justice
  • Children and Families services (Child Protection)
  • Family violence
  • Land and waters
  • Culture and languages
  • Disability
  • Youth
  • Elders & Aged Care
  • Early childhood care and development.

  * Health sector representative: The National Agreement acknowledges in Clause 45(c) that an element of a strong sector is “Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled organisations which deliver common services are supported by a Peak Body, governed by a majority Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Board, which has strong governance and policy development and influencing capacity.” As such, the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO), as the peak body for the Aboriginal health sector, will be the health sector representative, subject to any necessary endorsement from its members.

  Sector representative membership criteria

  In alignment with Clause 32 of the National Agreement, partnerships are between government and “Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, where participation in decision-making is done by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people appointed by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in a transparent way, based on their own structures and where they are accountable to their own organisations and communities.”

  To ensure members are accountable to, and representative of, the Aboriginal community and the Sector, organisations must be an ACCO as defined under Clause 44 of the National Agreement:

  • incorporated under relevant legislation and not-for-profit
  • controlled and operated by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people
  • connected to the community, or communities, in which they deliver the services
  • governed by a majority Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander governing body.

  Aboriginal governance forum delegates

  The Victorian Government has many existing structures and mechanisms to partner with the ACCO sector, Traditional Owner groups and the broader Aboriginal community.

  In alignment with the National Agreement, a representative from each relevant Aboriginal Caucus of Victorian Aboriginal Governance Forums will also be invited to the Partnership Forum. This will ensure we can capture critical sector-specific and regional input to build a coordinated approach to National Agreement implementation across relevant Aboriginal governance structures. The Aboriginal Caucuses of the Victorian Aboriginal Governance Forums will determine their own representative on the Partnership Forum.

  Senior departmental executives

  The Victorian Government will be represented on the Partnership Forum by senior executives, including those who have responsibility for Aboriginal policy and program areas, from all departments.

• Term of Partnership Forum

  The Partnership Forum will operate until the end of Victoria’s Closing the Gap Implementation Plan in 2023. After this time, Victoria’s implementation approach will be reviewed to ensure alignment with outcomes from Victoria’s treaty process.

  In the event that the term of the Partnership Forum is extended, sector representatives on the Partnership Forum will be determined through a further community selection process to ensure ongoing accountability and representativeness

• Funding

  Funding is available to support sector representatives’ participation on the Partnership Forum, and to carry out the following activities in accordance with the National Agreement (Clause 33):

  • engage independent policy advice
  • meet independently of governments to determine their own policy positions
  • support strengthened governance between and across Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations and parties
  • engage with and seek advice from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from all relevant groups within affected communities, including but not limited to Elders, Traditional Owners and Native Title Holders.

  Funding will also be available for secretariat support. Funding for the Partnership Forum will be tied to key outcomes relating to implementation, including:

  • evidence of regular sector and community engagement
  • meaningful participation in meetings with government to support genuine shared decision-making
  • accountability back to the Aboriginal community.

• Community Selection Process for sector representatives

  The independent process of selecting sector representatives on the Partnership Forum will empower all Victorian ACCOs and formally recognised Traditional Owner groups to determine, and hold to account, government and their sector representatives on Closing the Gap implementation.

  Karabena Consulting Trust will facilitate the nomination and voting process for the new Partnership Forum.

  Key dates

  Phase	Overview
  Nominations (7–25 February 2022)	Nominations open for ACCOs and TO Groups to nominate to represent their relevant sector(s) on the Partnership Forum.
  Voting (28 February to 18 March 2022)	Voting commences to determine sector representatives on the Partnership Forum.
  Results (March 2022)	Results of the community selection process will be confirmed and announced in the week commencing 21 March.

  Once all sector representatives have been selected by their sector, and governance forum delegates selected by each governance forum, the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs will confirm Partnership Forum membership.

• Governance

  Principles

  In accordance with Priority Reform One of the National Agreement, the Partnership Forum will be informed by the following guiding principles:

  Principle	Description
  Accountability	All parties responsible for driving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-led outcomes on Closing the Gap will be held accountable and subject to Aboriginal-led, independent and transparent oversight.
  Representativeness	Decision-making is done by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people appointed by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in a transparent way, based on their own structures and where they are accountable to their own organisations and communities.
  Decision-making	Shared decision-making is by consensus, where the voices of Aboriginal people hold as much weight as government, and the right to free, prior and informed consent is respected.
  Investment	Investment to support the implementation of the National Agreement will be sustainable, flexible and appropriate. Per the National Agreement, funding will be made available for the Partnership Forum to: engage independent policy advice; meet independently of government; support strengthened governance; and engage and seek input from Aboriginal people from all relevant groups.

  Scope

  The scope of the Partnership Forum will be limited to implementation of the National Agreement, consistent with Victoria’s Closing the Gap Implementation Plan. The Partnership Forum will develop and agree a Partnership Agreement and Terms of Reference promptly after establishment. This will include processes for Partnership Forum meetings and shared decision-making of the full group.

  Community accountability

  Minimum accountability threshold requirements for sector representatives on the Partnership Forum will include:

  • development of sector engagement plans with ACCOs from each sector
  • publicly available quarterly report backs to each sector on Closing the Gap implementation, including the outcomes of meetings with the Victorian Government
  • sector representative attendance at a minimum of 75% of Partnership Forum meetings with the Victorian Government
  • regular, open and inclusive engagement with ACCOs on a sector basis, including prior to quarterly meetings with the Victorian Government to inform agenda items and discussion
  • if requested by a sector member, evidence of sectoral engagement.