Indigenous Health Advocates Demand Funding After 121 Suicides in Victoria

Advocates for Indigenous health in Australia displayed 121 empty chairs on the steps of the Victorian parliament to represent the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the state who have died by suicide over the past five years.

The demonstration, organized by the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation, the state’s peak body for Indigenous health, aimed to highlight what community leaders call a lack of progress from the state government since a major inquiry into the healthcare system.

In March 2021, a royal commission into Victoria’s mental health system delivered its final report. The inquiry emphasized Aboriginal self-determination and recommended the creation of two cultural healing centres designed to address the specific emotional and social needs of First Nations people. While the Victorian state government formally accepted all 65 recommendations from the final report and nine from an interim report, Indigenous advocates say key measures remain unfunded.

First Nations people in Victoria remain three times more likely to die by suicide than non-Indigenous residents. Jill Gallagher, chief executive of the health organisation, stated that mainstream services are failing Indigenous communities. “The government has done nothing,” Gallagher said regarding the lack of funding for the recommended centres. She noted that her organization has applied twice in five years for funding for the facilities, estimated at 36.2 million Australian dollars over four years.

Community members joined health officials at the parliament steps to urge action. Nikki Foy, an Indigenous woman who lost her brother to suicide more than 20 years ago, argued that standard health facilities cannot address historical trauma, stating, “Culture heals.”

Both Victorian Minister for Mental Health Ingrid Stitt and opposition spokesperson Emma Kealy attended the event and addressed reporters alongside Indigenous representatives. However, neither politician made a commitment to fund the recommended healing centres.

Stitt stated she would continue advocating for the funding within government cabinet and budget processes. Meanwhile, Kealy noted her party remains committed to closing health disparities by supporting community-controlled organizations. The opposition coalition has pledged to repeal Victoria’s state-level treaty legislation and dissolve Gellung Warl, an Indigenous representative body created under that framework, within 100 days if it wins the upcoming state election in November.

Background

Indigenous Australians face persistent health, economic, and social disparities compared to the broader population. Lowering suicide rates among First Nations communities is one of 17 key targets established under the national “Closing the Gap” initiative, a framework designed by Australian federal, state, and territory governments alongside Indigenous leaders to reduce inequality.

Victoria’s royal commission into mental health was launched to reform the state’s public mental health framework. Royal commissions represent the highest level of public inquiry in Australia, carrying broad powers to investigate issues and issue formal recommendations to government bodies.