Victorian Indigenous Affairs Framework (VIAF)
The Victorian Indigenous Affairs Framework (VIAF) (PDF 1990kb) or (Word 1661kb) focuses long term, strategic and progressive effort to improve the health and quality of life of Indigenous Victorians. It recognises that change requires joined up and strategic action across government that supports people across their whole lives.
To achieve this the VIAF:
- Better aligns and integrates Indigenous policy and program effort across sectors
- Identifies the accountability of government departments and agencies and enables the monitoring of performance
- Provides a partnership structure through which Indigenous people and the Victorian Government work together to improve outcomes across all areas of the VIAF.
The VIAF:
- Comprises six Strategic Areas for Action considered necessary to improve life expectancy of and quality of life for Indigenous Victorians, and associated Strategic Change Indicators and targets
- Identifies principles that guide reform and
- Provides an outline of the partnership, coordination and management structures that underpin it.
Strategic Areas for Action and Strategic Change Indicators
The six strategic areas for action align closely with the goals set by the COAG. They are:- Improve maternal and early childhood health and development.
- Improve education outcomes (formerly ‘Improving literacy and numeracyand Improving Year 12 completion or equivalent qualification, develop pathways to employment’).
- Improve economic development, settle native title claims and address land access issues.
- Improve health and wellbeing (new Area for Action).
- Build Indigenous capacity.
- Prevent family violence, and improve justice outcomes.
These six strategic areas for action tackle the most important social and economic determinants of Indigenous disadvantage in Victoria. Since 2006, the VIAF has guided and coordinated the efforts of the Victorian Government in partnership with Victoria’s Indigenous communities.