Victoria Police recognises the complex relationship that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have with police and law enforcement organisations.

It is important that we acknowledge ongoing entrenched systemic and structural racism that stems from Australian colonisation and is experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

We recognise the impact of trauma, disadvantage and marginalisation caused by past injustices that continue to disrupt the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and the Aboriginal community.

Victoria Police is dedicated to working alongside our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees, community members and Traditional Owners to strengthen partnerships, empower Self-Determination and continue the process of removing barriers to a safe and inclusive workplace for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

In keeping with the principle of Self-Determination, our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees provide guidance and advice to improve conditions in Victoria Police across the employee lifecycle.

Self-Determination will guide and challenge Victoria Police on the way we approach the removal of barriers in the workplace for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees.

Strategic environment

This action plan is supported by the Victoria Police Workforce Diversity and Inclusion Framework 2023–2030.

The Framework and Action Plan are underpinned by the Whole of Victorian Government Barring Djinang Aboriginal Community of Practice’s Aboriginal Employment Strategy.

Victoria Police is responsible for delivering a range of commitments arising from the Victorian Aboriginal Affairs Framework 2018–2023 (VAAF); Burra Loptja Dunguludja Victorian Aboriginal Justice Agreement Phase 4 (AJA4); and Dhelk Dja: Safe Our Way – Strong Culture, Strong Peoples, Strong Families, within a Self-Determination framework.

We work towards our vision consistent with best practice, being considerate of Victorian Government strategies and initiatives, and the legislative framework, including: 

• Victorian Aboriginal and Local Government Strategy 2021–2026: Pathway to Stronger Partnerships
• Korin Korin Balit-Djak: Aboriginal health, wellbeing and safety strategic plan 2017–2027
• Balit Murrup: Aboriginal Social and Emotional Wellbeing Framework (2017–2027)
• The Equal Opportunity Act 2006 protects people from discrimination on the basis of their Aboriginality and provides redress for people who have been discriminated against
• Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006.

We review our approach to providing a safe and inclusive workplace in response to and with national and Victorian initiatives as they occur.

Our work to improve inclusion for all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees will also be advanced by the Equal, Safe and Strong Victoria Police Gender Equality Strategy 2020–2030, and the Equal, Safe and Strong Victoria Police Gender Equality Action Plan 2022–2024 (Equal, Safe and Strong).

Equal, Safe and Strong applies an intersectional lens that acknowledges the many different forms of discrimination causing disadvantage, including the discrimination encountered by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees. 

The Yoorrook Justice Commission

The Yoorrook Justice Commission (the Commission) was established by the Victorian Government in 2021.

The Commission has the powers of a Royal Commission, and is the first formal truth-telling process into historical and ongoing injustices experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Victoria since colonisation.

Victoria Police is committed to understanding the harm caused by colonisation, racism and discrimination experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and is committed to participating in the process of healing and system reform.

Victoria Police will respond to the Commission through the Victoria Police Yoorrook Justice Commission Response Taskforce.

The establishment of this taskforce acknowledges the significance of the Commission and highlights the organisation’s commitment to reform. 

Self-Determination

Victoria Police is committed to Self-Determination as a guiding principle for organisational Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander inclusion.

This means:

• realising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ aspirations for change
• valuing, promoting and requiring greater involvement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees and communities in decision-making, program design and service delivery, and
• demonstrating the highest level of support and advocacy by our leadership.

A key action in this plan is to implement Self-Determination in our internal workforce decision-making.

In undertaking this work we will be guided by, and will apply, the Victorian Aboriginal Affairs Framework Self-Determination framework.

This work will be led by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees and supported by influential leaders of the organisation.

Continuum towards Aboriginal Self-Determination

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employee-led Self-Determination creates the strongest foundation to close the gap between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal outcomes.

There are clear reasons why embedding Self-Determination is the most sustainable strategy for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ wellbeing:

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people hold the knowledge and expertise about what is best for themselves, their families and their communities. Local and international evidence shows us that Self-Determination is the key policy approach that has produced effective and sustainable outcomes for Indigenous peoples.
• Aboriginal Victorians have consistently and long called for Self-Determination as the key enabler for Aboriginal people, families and communities to thrive.
• Australia is a signatory to international law instruments, including the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), that affirm the right to Self-Determination for Indigenous peoples.

The way government enables Self-Determination will continue to evolve over time, based on changing community expectations and needs. However, community has identified four Self-Determination enablers:

• Prioritise culture
• Address trauma and support healing
• Address racism and promote cultural safety
• Transfer power and resources to communities.¹

The principle of Aboriginal Self-Determination is a continuum ranging from informing community through to transferring decision-making control.

• Inform
• Consult
• Collaborate
• Partnership
• Co-ownership
• Decision-making and resources control.

Intersectionality

Being Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander is only one aspect of a person’s identity.

Each Aboriginal person has their own:

• gender identity
• sex characteristics
• sexual orientation
• language
• colour
• faith
• ability
• age
• mental health
• socioeconomic status
• housing status, or
• geographic location.

Aboriginal people who live with other forms of discrimination can experience compounded inequality.

^{1 Victorian Aboriginal Affairs Framework 2018–2023.}

Victoria Police participates in the Victorian Public Sector Commission’s People Matter Survey.

The survey is for all Victorian Public Service organisations and provides valuable insight into the culture and safety of organisations from employee perspectives.

In 2021, 6,889 Victoria Police employees responded to the People Matter Survey. Of these employees, 64 self-identified as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander. Their responses included:

In 2021, Victoria Police’s primary human resources IT system was enhanced to capture data about each employee’s:

• sex
• gender
• sexuality
• languages
• culture
• Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander status
• and if a person has a disability.

Data prior to 2021 was drawn from data collated at induction.

Because this is a new feature, diversity figures currently appear lower than might be expected. However, as more employees report their diversity data Victoria Police will obtain a greater understanding of the diversity and needs of our employees.

This data provides a valuable benchmark to monitor our future progress.

Victoria Police has demonstrated a commitment to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander inclusion through various initiatives over the last twenty years.

It is important to acknowledge the work we have done to help establish the building blocks of a more culturally safe and capable organisation.

The Aboriginal Inclusion Strategy and Action Plan 2018–2021 provided a sound basis for making more substantial progress.

We recognise that we have significant work to do and that a greater organisational focus is needed.

Aboriginal people are at greater risk of victimisation than the wider community because of entrenched disadvantage associated with inter-generational trauma.²

Interactions with the criminal justice system are strongly associated with this trauma and contribute to low levels of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities trust and confidence in police.

Victoria Police’s ACAT acknowledges the historical role police played in past government policies and practices that negatively impacted Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and aims to establish and strengthen the relationship between police and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

The ACAT package was developed by Nyuka Wara Consulting, and led by cultural consultant and educator, Eddie Moore, an Aboriginal man with family links to the Wemba Wemba people from Swan Hill, the Palawa people from Cape Barren Island and the Wotjobaluk people from the Wimmera in Victoria.

Victoria Police Aboriginal employees have added their own contributions to strengthen and localise the package. Aboriginal employees began delivering ACAT to the Victoria Police workforce in 2020.

ACAT content is strengthened by truth telling videos provided by Aboriginal Elders and stakeholders from across Victoria who give their perspectives on the themes of the package.

ACAT provides an historical context of the experienced trauma of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and the impact that that previous government policies had on their culture, communities and lives. The training focuses on addressing unconscious bias and building greater levels of cultural awareness.

The development of ACAT highlights the importance of working in partnership with Aboriginal communities to enhance culturally competent policing responses.

The training demonstrates Victoria Police’s commitment to the VAAF and the Aboriginal Justice Agreement Phase 4.

With ACAT becoming mandatory for all police, PSOs and PCOs the state-wide rollout of ACAT has transitioned to a new model of delivery by the Divisional Training Officer Network with the assistance of Victoria Police Aboriginal employees.

As at 30 April 2023, 6,615 Victoria Police employees had participated in ACAT.

Victoria Police School-Based Traineeship Program

The School-Based Traineeship Program is designed for students completing Years 10, 11 or 12 who are interested in a career with Victoria Police.

Victoria Police, Skillinvest and Jobs Victoria jointly created this program to provide useful work experience and insight into a policing career.

From 2018–2022, 95 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander school-based trainees participated in the program.

^{2 Behrendt, L., 2001. Genocide: the distance between law and life. Aboriginal History, 25, pp.132-147.} 

Evaluation of the Aboriginal Inclusion Strategy and Action Plan 2018–2021

At the conclusion of the 2018–2021 Action Plan, Victoria Police committed to undertaking a comprehensive and independent evaluation of its progress and performance.

Yilki Guludun Tagai (YGT) Law and Biocultural Knowledge were engaged to conduct the evaluation which included consultation involving yarning circles, group facilitated discussions, data collection and analysis.

YGT’s evaluation concluded that Victoria Police had fallen short in achieving meaningful change through the implementation of the plan.

At a strategic level, the evaluation pointed to the need for the actions in this new plan to be more targeted and achievable in the lifespan of the plan.

A smaller number of targeted actions will enable a greater impact when tied to relevant and specific outcomes, allowing for greater emphasis on ongoing monitoring, evaluation and learning.

The evaluation identified key focus areas to be:

Self-Determination

• YGT’s evaluation concluded that Self-Determination and Aboriginal culture, history and agency are yet to be fully embraced and prioritised in Victoria Police. There is scope to work on fundamental aspects of Self-Determination policy and practice.

Cultural safety and wellbeing

• Cultural safety and wellbeing for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees continues to be an area that requires significant focus.
• Providing safe and culturally appropriate avenues for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees to report discrimination or seek assistance was highlighted as an area of priority.

Leadership

• Leadership capability, awareness and support of Aboriginal culture and of Self-Determination within the organisation was a critical foundation.
• A need was identified for improved transparency from senior leadership on the progress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander inclusion through engagement with employees and community.

Governance

• A governance framework or structure is required to oversee the implementation of actions and initiatives linked to the plan and subsequent strategies.
• Governance should include utilisation of knowledge, experience and leadership of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees and stakeholders when developing policies and procedures that will directly impact them.
  
   

A yarn with Sergeant Melissa Peters, a proud Yorta Yorta, Ngurai Illum Wurrung, Dja Dja Wurrung, Wamba Wemba and Wadi Wadi woman

Behind the badge

Melissa is a First Nations woman with Polish heritage. She graduated from the Victoria Police Academy in 1998.

Melissa was recently promoted to Sergeant in charge of the Proactive Policing Unit at Western Region, Division 3.

Why did you join Victoria Police?

I always wanted to be a police officer to help people.

Growing up in the western suburbs in a single parent household opened my eyes to life’s struggles, as well as built my empathy and desire to help people.

I feel as police members we can assist in changing negative attitudes and promoting social inclusion for all.

Tell us about your career

Throughout my career I have had different roles that draw on my life experiences as a First Nations woman with mixed heritage.

My training station was Melton, where I had great mentors and learnt a lot about general duties policing.

I attended many traumatic events from road fatalities to family violence incidents.

My outlet from the trauma and stress of the job was sport and my Aboriginal community, to which I am strongly connected to.

I have had many other roles including at Laverton Police Station where I took an active role in my local Aboriginal community as part of the Regional Aboriginal Justice Advisory Committee and Indigenous Family Violence Regional Action Group.

I was able to advocate for our community for better justice outcomes.

After working in metropolitan locations, we moved our family to regional Victoria where I accepted a role as a community engagement officer.

I have learnt so much about our diverse communities, but the common fact is that we are all more similar than different. Everyone wants to feel safe and included in community.

What is the most rewarding part of your work?

I love connecting to community in all its forms.

We are a vibrant and diverse community and need to celebrate this.

What progress have you seen over your career with Aboriginal inclusion?

Over the years I have seen the introduction of specific roles such as Police Aboriginal Liaison Officer (PALO), Aboriginal Community Liaison Officer (ACLO) and Aboriginal Community Justice Panel volunteers (ACJP).

All these roles aim to reduce the over representation of Aboriginal people within our justice system.

Victoria Police has a focus on building Aboriginal employee inclusion, with the Aboriginal Inclusion Action Plan and Aboriginal Employee Network.

I have been honoured to participate in the permanent flying of the Aboriginal flag at Victoria Police buildings and contribute to the development of a mandatory e-Learning module about understanding family violence in the Aboriginal community.

What barriers are remaining for Aboriginal employees?

Many Aboriginal employees work in areas with no other Aboriginal employees, this can be quite isolating.

As community members we don’t have the luxury of finishing when our shift ends, there’s an expectation that we will support our community 24/7.

This can be very tiring and having another Aboriginal member to support each other helps as we understand the cultural load.

Unfortunately, racism and outdated views of our community still exist. Aboriginal cultural safety is a concern to our employees.

What are your hopes for the future?

Victoria Police should continue their path of inclusion for all, we still have a long way to go.

What advice would you pass on?

My advice to all police officers is to be creative in the ways we can help.

By saying “you are worth it”, “I believe you”, “I will help you”, can be the catalyst for change in someone’s life.

My story: Senior Constable Joshua James, a proud Noongar man

My name is Joshua James and I am a proud Noongar man from the nation of Wardandi Gnalla Karla Booja, in the South West of Western Australia.

I graduated from the Victoria Police Academy in March 2019 and I am now a Senior Constable at the Yoorrook Justice Commission Response Taskforce.

In 2015 I applied to join Victoria Police but unfortunately I was unsuccessful in my application to join as a police officer. Fortunately I was able to join as a PCO.

I worked as a PCO in Western Region for 16 months and during this time I had some fantastic work relationships. However, I also had some terrible moments where I was racially vilified and verbally abused by fellow police members. I was shocked.

I reported the inappropriate behaviours and I feel it was dealt with appropriately. It was in this moment I thought to myself, ‘Does this happen elsewhere in VicPol?’

I decided that I wanted to do something about it. I wanted to influence better understanding of Aboriginal communities and for police officers to respect my people and my culture.

Two months later the Aboriginal Community Liaison Officer (ACLO) role was introduced to the Western Region, I successfully applied for the role and in less than a month I was working as an ACLO in Western Region, Division 1.

My focus for the role was two main tasks: firstly, for Victoria Police members to better understand the Aboriginal community and secondly, to promote positive engagement between Victoria Police and Aboriginal communities.

In 2018, I passed my police entrance exam and entered the Victoria Police Academy to begin my six-month training to become a probationary constable. I was voted by my peers to be the squad leader of Police Squad 6. This is a significant moment for Victoria Police as I was the first person who identified as Aboriginal at the time that I became a Squad Leader. This is probably the proudest moment of my professional career.

I graduated as a Constable in March 2019.

In graduation week, I spent my evenings designing an artwork piece that I presented to then Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton. The artwork has an extensive story behind the design which reflects the Victoria Police Academy, Victoria Police and the members of Squad 6 of 2018. The centre piece of the artwork is the heart of the design, with each member of the squad along with mentors and all instructors that were a part of the squad’s pathway placing a thumb print in yellow around the centre design. A full description of the design is on display next to the artwork piece that is now hanging on display near the chapel at the Victoria Police Academy.

In my seven years in Victoria Police I’ve worked as a PCO, an ACLO and now a sworn member of Victoria Police.

I have a clear mindset of where I want my career to go. I want to continue to advocate for Aboriginal people through my contributions within Victoria Police’s Aboriginal Employee Network and the Ballarat Aboriginal Youth Cautioning Program.

I am looking forward to my next step where I want to engage in proactive roles and become a Sergeant.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Inclusion in the Inclusion Continuum

The Diversity and Inclusion Program Logic (Appendix 1) provides a schematic representation of how Victoria Police will work towards a truly diverse workplace and inclusive organisation.

The program logic will provide the strategic framework to map future progress through targeted outcomes and action plans.

The program logic identifies the steps we need to take along the Inclusion Continuum, a visual model, as we seek to improve the diversity and inclusion consciousness and culture of Victoria Police.³

The 2018–2021 Action Plan used the Inclusion Continuum as a measure of our progress on our journey to becoming an inclusive organisation.

In 2018, we considered that the organisation was at the ‘compliant’ (recently renamed ‘reactive’) phase of the continuum. This is based on the level of maturity in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander inclusion confidence and capability.⁴

Following the results of the evaluation of the 2018–2021 Action Plan, a self-assessment of Victoria Police’s progress against the updated Inclusion Continuum determined that Victoria Police’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander inclusion remains at the reactive level.

Vision quote from Jacqui Marion

^{3 B. Jones and Michael Brazzel 2014, The NTL Handbook of Organization Development and Change: Principles, Practices, and Perspectives.
4 Please note since 2018 Dr. Angela Workman-Stark has improved the definitions within the Inclusion Continuum to better align to evidence-based diversity and inclusion standards. The previous inclusion Continuum (2018) included 6 pillars: exclusive, passive, compliant, proactive, redefining and inclusive. Please see the 2018–2021 Diversity and Inclusion Framework for expanded definitions.}

The journey towards our vision for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander inclusion in Victoria Police starts with six actions for 2023–2025.

In addition, Victoria Police has developed eight actions that will benefit all areas of diversity and inclusion.

These actions complement those actions targeted solely at improving the experience of our Aboriginal employees.

We define key terms below and acknowledge that people have different definitions.

Language has changed and continues to evolve.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander

An Aboriginal person and Torres Strait Islander person:

• is a descendent of an Aboriginal person
• is a descendent of a Torres Strait Islander person
• identifies as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
• is accepted as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander by the community in which they live or have lived.

Colonisation

Colonisation is the act of setting up a colony away from one’s original place of origin and involves the process of settling among and establishing control over the Aboriginal people of the area.

Discrimination

Discrimination is the unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people, especially on the grounds of race, age, sex, or disability.

Discriminatory workplace harm

This umbrella term covers any way a person experiences discrimination, harm or violence based on protected characteristics within the Victorian Equal Opportunity Act.

Gender equality and inclusion outcomes committee

The Gender Equality and Inclusion Outcomes Committee is the current authorising and governing committee that sits over gender equality in Victoria Police.

The committee is being expanded to include diversity and inclusion.

Intersectionality

Intersectionality is an approach to understanding how social meanings related to the way we categorise and identify can overlap and interconnect.

This creates different layers of discrimination or disadvantage for either an individual or group.

Program logic

A program logic model is a schematic representation that describes how a program is intended to work by linking activities with outputs, intermediate outcomes and longer-term outcomes.

Stereotype

A stereotype is a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing.

Workplace harm

Workplace harm is the detrimental effects of being targeted by all forms of inappropriate behaviour from work colleagues including sex discrimination, gender-based bullying, sexual harassment and assault, predatory behaviour, victimisation, workplace conflict and bullying.

Problem

An engrained culture and systemic bias has amplified inequality and impeded diversity.

Goal

A diverse workplace and inclusive organisation.