Latrobe Valley Place-based Partnership and Community Data Project

The National Agreement on Closing the Gap (the National Agreement) sets out a shared commitment between the Commonwealth, state and territory, and local governments, to strengthen outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. A core requirement of the Agreement is the establishment of place-based partnerships and community data projects in each jurisdiction—mechanisms that enable regional and local implementation of the Agreement.

These place-based partnerships and community data projects are intended to embed enduring, structured arrangements between Aboriginal communities and governments, grounded in self-determination with clearly defined, jointly agreed roles and responsibilities. They are essential to achieving the outcomes of the National Agreement, driving meaningful change through community-led solutions.

As National Agreement Priority Reform projects, the Latrobe Valley Place-based Partnership and Community Data Project will work together to support locally defined success for the Aboriginal Community.

The Latrobe Valley Koorie Partnership will: 

• Strengthen coordination and alignment across existing services  
• Embed Aboriginal leadership and governance throughout the service system
• Ensure supports are culturally safe, accessible, and focused on early intervention and prevention.
• Engage Aboriginal Community members in meaningful co-design and shared decision-making.

Closing the Gap Target 12: By 2031, reducing the overrepresentation of Aboriginal children in out-of-home care by 45%

Latrobe Valley has some of the highest rates of Aboriginal child involvement in the child protection system in Victoria, with Aboriginal children 12 times more likely to be in out-of-home care than non-Aboriginal children.

This overrepresentation is driven by persistent gaps across the service system, a lack of culturally safe and Aboriginal-led support, limited early intervention capacity, and disruptions to service continuity due to high mobility among Aboriginal families across the region.

The Partnership will prioritize strengthening family, kinship and cultural connections to keep Aboriginal children safe and supported at home, through a preventative model determined by Community.

The proposed Partnership Steering Group and Families Working Group will create formal mechanisms to elevate the Committee’s priorities and translate them into Community-driven solutions.

Community Data Project

The Community Data Project (CDP) advances Priority Reform 4 of the National Agreement by embedding data sovereignty into regional and local data implementation – supporting the Latrobe Valley Aboriginal Community to lead data development and use, strengthen governance, improve data quality, and drive systemic reform. 

The data sharing proposal includes:

• Establish partnerships between Aboriginal people and government agencies to improve collection, access, management and use of data, including identifying improvements to existing data collection and management.
• Guide the improved collection, access, management and use of data to inform shared decision-making.

Information access proposal includes:

• Make data more transparent by informing Aboriginal people what data they have and how it can be accessed.
• Support Aboriginal communities and organisations to build capability and expertise in collecting, using and interpreting data in a meaningful way

Together, the Latrobe Valley Place-based Partnership and CDP will support the local Aboriginal Community to lead solutions, shape decision-making, and create lasting change in the child and family service system.

Latrobe Valley Koorie Partnership Committee (the Committee) – Established

The Committee is the heart of the governance structure. Membership on this committee is currently restricted to Latrobe Valley Aboriginal Community members and Traditional Owners who are not employed by sector organisations. This group provides Eldership to the governance structure, setting priorities, sharing decision making, and instructing on cultural considerations.

Latrobe Valley Koorie Youth Council – Established

The Latrobe Valley Koorie Youth Council is the young heart of the governance structure, ensuring the voice and views of local Aboriginal young people are heard and listened to. This group is accountable to the Koorie Partnership Committee.

Partnership Reference Group – Proposed

The Partnership Reference Group brings representatives from the Committee together with government and sector representatives, creating space for shared decision making. Working with Formal Partnerships Agreements, as outlined in the National Agreement on Closing the Gap, the group will collaborate to plan and deliver activities for Aboriginal families in the Latrobe Valley.

Latrobe Valley Aboriginal Family Service Working Group – Proposed

A sub-set of the Partnership Reference group, the Latrobe Valley Aboriginal Family Service Working Group will enable sensitive collaboration between services to support self-determined outcomes for families with (or at risk of) Statutory Child Protection intervention.

Community Data Advisory Group – Proposed

The Community Data Advisory Group membership are data custodians and data users who will provide Indigenous Data Governance for the Data Project and coordination of data sharing. The Group will also work from a Formal Data Sharing Agreement as a National Agreement on Closing the Gap Priority Reform Project.

Gippsland ACCO Strategic Alliance – Proposed

The Gippsland ACCO Strategic Alliance will bring together ACCOs from across Gippsland to share experiences and advocate for policy and investment that responds to the needs and opportunities of the area. Included in the Partnership Governance Structure, the Strategic Alliance will have secretariat support from the Partnership team and benefit from the established Partnership network.