The Yoorrook Justice Commission has resumed public hearings this week with a focus on Victoria's health, housing and education systems.
Aunty Jill Gallagher, the head of Victoria's Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation , told the Yoorrook Justice Commission she was concerned that three Aboriginal people had died by suicide in Victorian hospitals in the past two years.Aunty Jill told Yoorrook the story of 24-year-old Makalie Owens-Watts — a "vibrant young woman" and aspiring lawyer who had moved to Melbourne from Adelaide for her university studies.
This week, it heard evidence that Aboriginal Victorians were three times more likely than non-Aboriginal Victorians to experience high or very high levels of psychological distress. "It is taxing on our health, always, and it's something we deal with as Aboriginal people right across the country."Earlier this week, Yoorrook heard evidence from a panel of representatives from Ngaweeyan Maar-oo, the First Nations-led group tasked with overseeing the implementation of Closing the Gap in Victoria., which aims to improve outcomes for First Nations people on areas such as health, education, employment and housing by 2031.
Lisa Briggs, Michael Graham and Nerita Waight of Ngaweeyan Maar-oo shared their concerns about the slow progress of the Closing the Gap scheme.It heard that the Victoria's Closing the Gap implementation plan, developed in 2021, was due to expire in 2023, but had now been extended to June 2025 with no ongoing reporting on progress.
Victoria's First People's Assembly is the body responsible for negotiating treaty in Victoria, with negotiations expected to begin later this year.