The Victorian State Government has boosted funding for Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations to continue providing culturally safe healthcare services.
Treaty and First Peoples Minister Gabrielle Williams announced that 26 organisations would receive a share of $25million, the second round of funding from the state's Aboriginal Workforce Fund.
"Aboriginal organisations know what's best for their communities - that's why the workforce fund is essential to ensuring there is direct and culturally safe support wherever they think it's most needed," she said.
"Aboriginal health organisations invest in their workforces so that they have the skills and resources needed to continue this important work."
The funding will help Healesville's Oonah Health and Community Services, one of the recipients, expand their clinical arm and enable them to employ new staff to deliver health, education, community and employment services.
Previously known as the Healesville Indigenous Community Services Association, the service aims to promote a healthy, strong and skilled Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community in Melbourne's outer east.
Chief executive Amanda Hand welcomed the funding investment which will see Oonah receive almost $1million dollars.
"At Oonah we are actively advocating for and welcome investment from the Victorian government in the east of Melbourne," she said.
"It is an area that is under resourced and so we're excited to be able to expand community focused community controlled services in the area for the benefit of our community."
The Kirrae Health Service in Purnim has also received an allocation to invest in skills and training for its Indigenous workforce.
The ACCHO employs 12 staff from the Aboriginal community, offering extensive clinical services as well all community programs such as gym and swim and a children's fruit programs.
Kirrae manager Nonnie Harradine said the funding would benefit the organisation and the broader community.
"The funding we receive will allow us to further recruit across our community, increase skills, knowledge and resources across cultural safety and cultural awareness, LGBTQI+ awareness, finance, and human resources," she said.
"We also want to promote clear career pathways and encourage more Aboriginal people to undertake study in the health field, so we proposed supporting existing Aboriginal Health Workers to upgrade their skills to Aboriginal Health Practitioners.
"This will be highly beneficial for our client's health and wellbeing and create a further pathway to encourage staff into other health fields including nursing or allied health."
Other ACCHOs that will benefit from the fund include East Brunswick's Aboriginal Community Elders Services, which has been allocated $1.6 million to support Elders' connections to culture and community.
The Victorian Aboriginal Health Services has also received support totalling $1.4 million to deliver improved medical, dental and social services to the Victorian Aboriginal community.
Funding allocations from the Aboriginal Workforce Fund are determined by a 14-member committee comprised of Aboriginal organisation representatives from across the state.
