Before colonization, Indigenous Australians has lived in Victoria for 50,000 years. They were free and have strong cultural identity and connection to their land and speak many languages and, have a healthy lifestyle based on hunter-gatherer culture and which involves physical work and their diet was fresh foods (VACCHO, 2020).
After colonization, Indigenous population in Victoria reduced from 60,000 to 2,000 due to battle with the settlers, lack of resistance to colonist disease, lack of freedom and loss of identity, loss of their land and lack of sense of belonging and sudden change in their way of life. Indigenous people were devastated and emotionally depressed because of massacres, their spiritual beliefs taken away and set in a Christian mission, as a result of initial violence, poor diet, physically inactive, drug, alcohol and smoking rate increased among the Indigenous people (VACCHO, 2020).
The Government policy of Protection (1869) and Assimilation Policy (1951-1962), under the name of protection boards, removed thousands of Indigenous children from their families and put them in white families or missions when turned 18 forced to disseminate into the white society and these children known as the Stolen Generations. The physical, emotional and sexual abuse left a lifetime impact on the health and well-being of the Stolen Generations (VACCHO, 2020). The children forcefully removed from there family weakened their indigenous identity and Indigenous cultural traditions. Their education level is limited, not even finished high school due to that they were less likely to be employed, they experienced an unstable living condition which as a result leads to an unstable relationship with their partners (Australian Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, 1997).
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The gap on Indigenous health directly related to their past physical and psychological trauma, ongoing racism and race discrimination, intergenerational trauma, unhealthy diet, lack of exercise, low education, low employment, low income, housing affordability and poor sanitation and drainage system have an effect to poor health and which led to 10.6 years less life expectancy of Indigenous males born between 2015 and 2017 and about 8 to 9 years less for females than non-Indigenous population (Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet, 2020).
To close the health gap understanding of the definition of Aboriginal health is vital, health for Aboriginal people is not only physical illness, but it is also cultural, spiritual and emotional well-being of an individual, their families and the whole community. Therefore, various solutions have implemented by the Aboriginal community to address the health needs of Aboriginal people in a holistic and culturally safe manner and this includes the establishment of Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health organization (VACCHO) and community healing centres run by the Healing Foundation. VACCHO is a member of the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organization (NACCHO) and which represents 100 per cent Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organizations.
Currently, there are 25 locally owned Aboriginal community-controlled health organizations focusing on the specific health needs of their local Aboriginal community and works to deliver high-quality and culturally safe primary health services across victoria (VACCHO, 2020). Beside VACCHO there other Community healing centres run by the Healing Foundation, which are works to deliver culturally safe health services to the Aboriginal community, particularly to the Stolen Generations members and their families, aimed to help their mind and emotions spiritually and to support them through their healing process. In 2017/2018 the Healing Foundation supported to 170 Stolen Generations members who took part in collective healing projects (Healing Foundation, 2018).
Aboriginal-led health organizations such as the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organization and healing centres run by the Healing Foundation are vital to close to the health inequality among Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people. Culturally safe and health care services delivered by Aborigines to Aborigines play a significant role on decolonization of the mainstream health by allowing self-determination, as these organizations are run and managed by Aborigines, Advocates for Aborigines health equality by providing access to health services, capacity building through health promotion and education and creating employment to the community. As these organization run and work for the Aboriginal community which gives confidence and builds trust in the health services, so this increases access to the health services and creating strong connections among the Aboriginal community (VACCHO, 2020).
The Healing Foundation supports group healing projects which were planned to meet the specific healing needs to the Stolen Generations members by giving them access to healing groups, connecting them with other survivors and sharing their stories helps to many Stolen Generations members and it also plays a significant role for intergenerational healing (Healing Foundation, 2018).
