Systemic racism across Victoria's healthcare, child protection and policing systems is continuing to harm First Nations people, two leading Aboriginal organisations have warned.
In submissions to a federal parliamentary inquiry, the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO) and the Victorian Aboriginal Child and Community Agency (VACCA) said institutional failures continue to produce poorer health and justice outcomes, despite repeated reviews and reforms.
The organisations have called for stronger legal protections against racism, greater independent oversight of public institutions and expanded Aboriginal self-determination in response to what they describe as entrenched systemic failures.
Systems 'measurably harmful'
VACCHO argued racism has a "toxic" impact on the health of First Peoples, directly contributing to poorer physical and mental health outcomes by eroding trust in healthcare, delaying treatment and discouraging people from seeking care.
"Racism in healthcare is real, measurable and harmful," the organisation submitted.
The organisation criticised what it described as "institutional apathy", arguing governments and organisations routinely acknowledge racism without implementing meaningful responses.
It said complaints processes remain fragmented and place the burden on Aboriginal people to report and prove racism rather than requiring institutions to prevent discrimination and demonstrate improvement.
"Many experiences of racism do not fit neatly within narrow legal thresholds," VACCHO said.
"Many people do not report because they expect nothing to happen, fear retaliation, do not trust institutions, or do not want to relive the harm."
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In 2021, Kamilaroi-Dunghutti man Ricky "Dougie" Hampson Jr, a 36-year-old father of eight, died after being discharged from Dubbo Hospital without a CT scan, despite reporting "ten out of ten" pain.
An inquest found his death "totally unnecessary" and "preventable". The treating doctor admitted cognitive bias had contributed to the misdiagnosis, and the coroner ruled Aboriginality must be a key consideration in healthcare delivery - saying so-called "colour-blind" treatment ignores the reality of systemic inequality.
After the inquest, Ricky's father, Rick Hampson Snr, was blunt.
"We would also like to see more signage regarding the importance of stopping racism and how it kills our people when seeking life-saving treatment, and signage of Dougie's case to remind all health staff the importance of treating all people equally," he said.
VACCHO also highlighted that attempts to improve health equity are frequently met with misinformation and inflammatory public debate, which legitimises racism and creates hostile environments for First Nations people.
They pointed to the case of St Vincent's Hospital in Naarm, which last year introduced a policy ensuring Indigenous patients were triaged within 30 minutes of arriving at the emergency department. According to Australian Indigenous Doctors' Association acting president Dr Olivia O'Donoghue, the policy addressed well-documented health disparities without affecting emergency department flow or reducing care for other patients.
Despite that, the policy attracted widespread criticism, with some conservative commentators describing it as "apartheid".
News Corp columnists Andrew Bolt — who was previously found guilty of breaching the racial discrimination act — and Rita Panahi accused the hospital of racial favouritism, the Herald Sun published a cartoon suggesting people would falsely identify as Indigenous to receive faster treatment, while the Victorian Opposition claimed the policy was "the first glimpse at what Premier Jacinta Allan's divisive Treaty will look like".
VACCHO said the reaction "demonstrates a serious problem in public discourse".
"An evidence-based health equity measure was reframed as a racial grievance story," they argued. "The result was public hostility directed towards Aboriginal communities, hospital staff and the institution itself."
Child protection and youth justice
VACCA described racism as "a primary driver of inequity between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people", arguing discriminatory practices continue to funnel Aboriginal people into statutory systems.
"Racialised practices like over-surveillance, discriminatory decision-making and punitive interventions continue to drive Aboriginal people's disproportionate contact with statutory systems, including child protection, police and the criminal legal system," the organisation submitted.
"In non-statutory systems, like health care, education and social service settings, practices that are culturally unsafe and fail to recognise Aboriginal rights and self-determination continue to act as a barrier to meaningful engagement and support."
The submission comes as Victoria continues to record the nation's highest number of children in out-of-home care. While the state raised the age of criminal responsibility to 12, the government later abandoned a commitment to increase it to 14 and has introduced tougher sentencing laws allowing adult sentences for some children aged 14 and over.
Research has consistently identified links between child protection involvement and youth offending among so-called "crossover kids", with the Sentencing Council previously finding that while most children known to child protection do not offend, a significant proportion of children charged with offences have had contact with the child protection system.
VACCA said consultations with its staff highlighted systemic bias throughout child protection and mandatory reporting systems.
"During consultation for this submission, VACCA staff identified systemic bias and over-surveillance within Child Protection and notifying systems (mandatory reporters) as key examples of the nature and impacts of racism," the organisation submitted.
"Staff also described instances where culturally-appropriate responses were disregarded. In one example, a parent voluntarily admitted themselves to a mental health service with clear next-of-kin arrangements in place for their child; however, rather than contacting family, the health service contacted child protection."
Policing 'a source of harm rather than protection'
VACCA also argued policing in Victoria is "undermined by systemic racism", despite Victoria Police consistently rejecting allegations of racial profiling.
Data released last year found Victoria Police were 10 times more likely to use force against a person they perceived as Aboriginal than someone they perceived as White, and 10.6 times more likely to use force against an Aboriginal woman than a woman they perceived as White.
"Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people often experience policing as a source of harm rather than protection," VACCA submitted. "Evidence of racial profiling, disproportionate use of force, and systemic failures in family violence responses has eroded confidence in reporting."
The organisation said many Aboriginal women avoid police and mainstream family violence services because they fear child protection intervention, while concerns persist about police misidentifying Aboriginal women as perpetrators rather than victims of violence.
"Victoria Police and the police accountability system represent the most acute and well-documented example of the systemic failure in reporting mechanisms for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people," VACCA said.
"The evidence for this is extensive, spanning over decades and points to a structural problem that has not been adequately addressed despite multiple inquiries and recommendations."
The submissions called for stronger powers for bodies such as the Australian Human Rights Commission, the eSafety Commissioner, the Australian Communications and Media Authority and the AHPRA, alongside improved independent oversight of policing and complaints systems.
They also urged governments to expand Aboriginal self-determination by increasing decision-making authority and providing long-term funding for Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations.
