Associate Professor Gregory Phillips on Aboriginal self-determination for
KorinKorinBalit-Djak
Video transcript

[Opening title card: Victoria State Government – Health and Human Services]

[slow atmospheric piano music plays in the background throughout the video]

[Second title card: The Department of Health and Human Services invited Associate Professor Gregory Phillips to introduce and contextualise Aboriginal self-determination for KorinKorinBalit-Djak: Aboriginal health, wellbeing and safety strategic plan 2017 – 2027. ]

[Onscreen, an animation entitled ‘associate Professor Gregory Phillips, Academic and Research Fellow Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute ]

Male narrator: So I’m Gregory Phillips, I’m Waanyifrom North Queensland on my Grandmother’s side and Jaru form the Kimberleys on my grandfather’s side and I’ve been very privileged to be in Victoria for about fifteen years and I just want to thank all of the elders and community members here that have taught me and have welcome me in and umm just want to give power and shout out to the local Victorian Koories for how deadly you all are.

So self-determination is important for three reasonsone it works for all given populations around the world but particularly for Indigenous peoples the evidence is very strong that when self-determination is enabled and communities can speak for themselves and make decisions for themselves, the health and social outcomes are more likely to improve.

[Onscreen, an animation entitled ‘self-determination works’]

[Onscreen, an animation entitled ‘Communities speaking and acting for themselves]

So, most famously we have seen this with First Nation’s Communities in British Columbia that when surveyed for all different sorts of outcomes those communities that have the strongest level of self-determination are more likely to have better health outcomes and less youth suicide for example.

Secondly, is because Australia is a signatory to the United Nation’s Declaration of the Rights to Indigenous Communities which codifies in international law self-determination.

[Onscreen, an animation entitled ‘It is international law]

And thirdly, is because Aboriginal Victorians have said, well actually this is what matters

that we are at the forefront of our business.

[Onscreen, an animation entitled ‘What matters]

So, self-determination really isthe ability for communities to speak and act for themselves.

[Onscreen, an animationentitled‘Self-determination]

Of course, Aboriginal people are not so sort of egotistical to think that we don’t need help or there’s not other knowledge that we can learn from but basically this land has all of the values and knowledge that we need and I see KorinKorinBalit-Djak as a chance for us in Victoria, and Koorie Victorians to go back to their own knowledge of what the land is teaching them and make health care systems based on that rather than the other way around.

So the reason why I got involved was because I was asked to contribute something and I felt that KorinKorinBalit-Djak was a real chance to make sure that government didn’t simply think that self-determination was just another policy to roll out and that it was in fact something that Aboriginal community’s owned, it was based on Koorie values and that Koorie people themselves would start to have more of a leadership role in how things should roll out.

[Onscreen, an animation entitled ‘Not just another policy]

[Onscreen, an animation entitled ‘Koorie values]

I was really inspired and honoured really to contribute in some small way to helping Koorie Victorians realise self-determination for themselves.

Victoria really is leading the wayin Australia at the moment in terms of its discussions about Treaty

in terms of its potential to make self-determination real on Aboriginal valuesrather than on the states.

[Onscreen, an animation entitled ‘Leading the way]

[Onscreen, an animation entitled ‘Treaty’]

[Onscreen, an animation entitled ‘Make self-determination real’]

[Onscreen, an animation entitled ‘Aboriginal values’]

You know, Koorie communities in Victoria and New South Wales have a proud and sustained history of identity and culture and have kept those values alive through the worst of the onslaught of colonisation and that in many ways actually Victoria is leading the way for what it truly means to have Aboriginal values at the front and centre of society rather than as an afterthought.

[Onscreen, an animation entitled ‘Proud identity and culture’]

[Onscreen, an animation of the front of a report entitled ‘Aboriginal values’]

[Onscreen, an animation entitled ‘Aboriginal values’]

[Closing title card: Victoria State Government – Health and Human Services]

[Onscreen, an animation ‘Aboriginal painting zooming out. Painting has hands ,circles, footprints, rivers, orange and yellow tracks, concentric shapes within shapes ’]

[Closing title card: Authorised by the Department of Health & Human Services 50 Lonsdale Street Victoria State, Melbourne]

To receive this publication in an accessible format email Communications and Media <>

Authorised and published by the Victorian Government, 1 Treasury Place, Melbourne.

© State of Victoria, Department of Health and Human Services, March 2017

Available on the DHHS Korin Korin Balit-Djak page

People strategy 2020 animation: Video transcript1