National Reconciliation Week
National Reconciliation Week started yesterday on the 27 May, which is the 58th anniversary of the 1967 referendum to include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the census and give the Australian Government the power to make laws for them.
National Reconciliation Week is a time for Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia. Just a couple of weeks ago, many Western Victoria Primary Health Network (WVPHN) team members had the opportunity to learn more about one of these histories and cultures, when we toured the Budj Bim Cultural Landscape and learnt about the Gunditjmara people who lived and thrived in this unique landscape.
At WVPHN, we remain committed to reconciliation, and self-determination for First Nations communities and health organisations. We strongly believe that empowering Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCOs) is a crucial element in improving equality in health outcomes for First Nations people and will continue to support ACCOs and advocate with them.
Latest Grant Opportunities: FDSV training and Practice Leadership Training
We have a couple of new grant opportunities that I wanted to highlight as they target particular needs in our communities.
We’re currently inviting general practices across western Victoria to put in an Expression of Interest to join a newly expanded, incentivised ($4000) Family Domestic and Sexual Violence, including Child Sexual Abuse, (FDSV) A-LIVES Training and Support Program.
For practices that have previously participated in the Family Violence A-LIVES Program, it is recommended to complete the updated FDSV A-LIVES Training and Support Program due to the following changes:
- The training is now co-facilitated by one experienced Family Violence Specialist Integrator and one Sexual Violence Specialist Integrator.
- Sexual violence clinical indicators have been introduced into the training, including information about acute and historical sexual assault.
- A separate session on child sexual abuse has been added.
Parts of western Victoria have higher than the state average rates of domestic and sexual violence, making it essential for general practices to have the skills and knowledge to assist clients.
We also have Expressions of Interest open for General Practice Vaccination Grants ($5000 per practice). As many of you will be aware, many vulnerable populations in western Victoria are under vaccinated. This program aims to improve the vaccination rates for COVID-19 and other vaccinations, including vaccinations for children, aged care residents and other vaccinations relevant to your local patient population.
You can learn more about these two grant opportunities and others on the Expressions of Interest page on our website.
Craig Wilding, WVPHN CEO
28 May 2025