Supporting Aboriginal Self-Determination

Aboriginal organisations and communities want to make their own decisions about their future. They share a lifetime of experience of poor consultation processes that delivered poor outcomes and tokenistic interactions. We have worked with many of Victoria’s ACCOs to set their organisation’s future direction with the engagement of their leaders and communities. In addition, Rapid Impact has supported local and cross-sector Aboriginal networks with conversations that progress issues around justice, children in care, housing, consumer affairs, and economic development. 

Rapid Impact played an active part in the design and facilitation of the quarterly Aboriginal Children’s Forums for more than 3 years, always with an eye on discussions that drove accountability, change and desired outcomes, for Aboriginal families and communities. Ambitious targets were set. Aboriginal organisations, the sector, the Commission for Children and Young People, and the Victorian government, can celebrate that over 50% of Aboriginal children and young people are now under the authority, care and case management of an Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation (ACCO). In addition, greater investment has been channeled to build the capacity of Aboriginal families, communities and ACCOs, to care for their children. 

What started as Rapid Impact supporting the first shared strategy between Aboriginal organisations, Government, and the sector, has grown a life of its own. This critical piece of work has resulted in a fundamentally different way of working with Government. The early priority setting and first implementation plans for the subsequent strategy, Wungurilwil Gapgapduir, were also supported by Rapid Impact.

Over 200 people came together to strengthen and adapt the existing relationships, protocols and approaches of the Koorie Courts. Participants included magistrates and senior staff from the formal judicial system, Aboriginal Elders and Respected Persons, and Koori Court Officers from Aboriginal communities around Victoria. In collaboration with the Koori Court Office and the Children’s Court, Rapid Impact created a framework and the environment to discuss what is considered culturally appropriate and inappropriate behaviour for magistrates, an understanding of areas where Elders and Respected Persons might step over judicial boundaries, and the potential areas of confusion between the role of the Magistrate and the Aboriginal Elders and Respected Persons with regard to decision-making and conflicts of interest. A most entertaining and provocative role-play was scripted and performed by some of Melbourne’s most senior magistrates to stimulate and engage robust discussion around sensitive issues.