Goal 3: Aboriginal families and households thrive

Overview

Measures under Goal 3 have varied in performance

Family violence continues to have a disproportionate impact on Aboriginal people in Victoria. The rates of family violence incident reports involving an Aboriginal other party or Aboriginal affected family member are significantly higher than the population rate.

The number of family violence notifications to child protection involving Aboriginal children has again increased significantly. The 7,019 notifications involving Aboriginal children in 2022-23 was the highest since records have been kept.

The proportion of Aboriginal adults running out of food and being unable to buy more and the proportion of Aboriginal Victorians accessing homelessness services have also increased.

Goal 3 directly aligns with the following Closing the Gap Outcomes and Targets

Outcome 9: Aboriginal people secure appropriate, affordable housing that is aligned with their priorities and needs.

• Target 9: By 2031, increase the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in appropriately sized (not overcrowded) housing to 88 per cent.

Outcome 13: Aboriginal families and households are safe

• Target 13: By 2031, the rate of all forms of family violence and abuse against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and children is reduced at least by 50 per cent, as progress towards zero.

Closing the Gap - How Victoria is tracking nationally

Outcome 9: In 2021, 81.4 per cent of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were living in appropriately sized (not overcrowded) housing across Australia, compared to 88.8 per cent in Victoria.

Nationally, based on progress from the baseline, target 9A shows improvement but is not on track to be met. In Victoria, there has been some improvement since 2016 (the baseline year).

Target 9B, which aims to ensure First Peoples communities receive essential services that meet or exceed jurisdictional standards, is not able to be reported against as there is no data source currently available which includes all required data elements.

Outcome 13: In 2018-19, 8.4 per cent of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander females, aged 15 years and over, experienced domestic, physical or threatened physical harm across Australia, compared to 7.5 per cent in Victoria.

This target relies on National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey data. No new data is available since the baseline year of 2018-19.

3.1 Reduce the incidence and impact of family violence affecting Aboriginal families

Measure 3.1.1 Number and proportion of family violence incident reports involving an Aboriginal other party; and proportion of those who were the subject of a previous family incident report

In 2023, Victoria police reported responding to 7,019 family violence incident reports that involved an Aboriginal other party [3]. This made up 7.5 per cent of all family violence incident reports. Relative to the Aboriginal population, the proportion of family violence incident reports that involved an Aboriginal other party is high. Of the 7,019 incidents in 2023, 87.3 per cent involved a repeated incident and 37.6 per cent had charges laid.

Over time the number of family violence incidents has continued to increase for both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people. Part of this increase could be attributed to a safer family violence reporting environment. It may also be impacted by the misidentification of women who have experience violence as the ‘aggressor’ or ‘other party’. Since the Royal Commission into Family Violence, significant work has been undertaken across government, including by Victoria Police to improve the recording of family incidents.

Measure 3.1.2 Number and proportion of family violence incident reports involving an Aboriginal affected family member; and proportion of those who were the subject of a previous family incident report

In 2023, there were 5,784 family violence incident reports that involved an Aboriginal affected family member. This made up 6.1 per cent of all family violence incident reports. It should not be assumed that family violence incidents involving an Aboriginal affected family member also involved an Aboriginal other party.

Relative to the Aboriginal population, the proportion of family violence incident reports that involved an Aboriginal family member is high. However, it is less than the proportion of family violence incidents involving an Aboriginal other party. Of the 5,784 incidents in 2023, 83.3 per cent involved a repeated incident and 32.6 per cent had charges laid.

When looking further into when charges are laid, 92.1 per cent of charges are laid for repeat incidences.

Measure 3.2.1 Proportion of adults who ran out of food in the previous 12 months and couldn’t afford to buy more

In 2023, 26.0 per cent of Aboriginal respondents to the Victorian Population Health Survey ran out of food in the past 12 months and could not buy more. This is similar to results in 2022 with 25.4 per cent. Compared to non-Aboriginal adults, Aboriginal adults were more than three times likely to run out of food in 2023. Over the long term this trend has been getting worse. In 2017, 15.7 per cent of Aboriginal respondents ran out of food, a 10-percentage point increase since that period. Food insecurity is becoming an increasing issue for First Peoples in Victoria. The rising cost of living as well as food shortages is affecting First Peoples’ households far more than their non-Aboriginal peers.

Measure 3.2.4 Proportion of Victorians accessing homelessness services

In 2023-24, 18.4 per cent of Aboriginal Victorians accessed homelessness services. This percentage has been steadily climbing since 2011-12. Over the past decade the number and proportion of Aboriginal people accessing homelessness services has increased from 13.8 per cent in 2014-15. Over the same period, non-Aboriginal Victorians accessing homelessness services remained steady. The leading cause of homelessness for Aboriginal Victorians is family violence, particularly for Aboriginal women and children.

Footnotes

[3] The ‘other party’ refers to the alleged perpetrator involved in a family incident. The other party could be a current partner, former partner or a family member.