Victoria’s Truth and Justice process will look to deal with the issues of the past, but must go hand in hand with progress on the issues of today.
Aboriginal Victorians must be given the opportunity and responsibility of self-determination.
This includes voicing the pain of the past and offering a way forward that paves the way to healing.
It’s important to acknowledge and deal with past wrongs, but we must continue to work to ensure we are building a better future for all Aboriginal Victorians.
The Victorian Liberal Nationals want to see a continued effort and whole of government approach towards achieving the national Closing the Gap agenda.
In the years since the original Closing the Gap report, Victoria failed to meet targets in the priority areas of education and employment.
The basic tenets for any Victorian should be access to education, appropriate housing, to secure and reliable employment and improved health outcomes.
But the data shows the Victorian Government is still failing to close the gap for Indigenous Victorians.
It is important to voice the pain of the past. But so too is progress on initiatives and opportunities that improve the future lives and livelihoods of all Aboriginal Victorians.
