The Andrews Labor Government is boosting support for local Aboriginal organisations, creating jobs and ensuring we can all recover strongly from the global pandemic together.

Aboriginal organisations operating in Gippsland will receive a boost from the Andrews Labor Government to help them recover from the impacts of the pandemic and support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across the region.

Member for Eastern Victoria Harriet Shing announced that Aboriginal Housing Victoria, Djirra, and the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service would each be receiving $400,000 in funding as part of the $40 million Aboriginal Workforce Fund, which has begun rolling out this month to create jobs and boost services when they’re needed the most.

The investment will help maintain and staff services operated by these organisations in Gippsland and help Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders lead the way in self-determination.

These organisations are a part of the 44 organisations across Victoria that have already received a total of $11.2 million in funding under the first round of the Aboriginal Workforce Fund.

The Aboriginal Workforce Fund supports upskilling, training, worker health and wellbeing, organisational capability building, and extra staff to assist service delivery.

The Victorian Aboriginal Social Recovery Advisory Group, consisting of key Aboriginal leaders and CEOs from local and state-wide Aboriginal organisations, was convened to guide the fund design, priorities and approach.

The remainder of the fund to strengthen organisational and workforce capability will be allocated in 2021/22.

Quotes attributable to Harriet Shing, Member for Eastern Victoria:

“The Aboriginal Workforce Fund will allow those Gippsland-based services that are operated by and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to rebuild after the pandemic and keep providing for their communities on their own terms.”

“We want to ensure that there is a strong workforce across Gippsland that can serve the needs of our local Aboriginal communities – and this has never been more important after the year we just had.”