Vic Aboriginal child protection rates rise

The number of Aboriginal children in Victoria needing protection is at its highest level in seven years, a new report says.

More than 1000 Aboriginal children in Victoria needed protection due to neglect or abuse in 2013.

It was the highest number in seven years, according to the Victoria Government Aboriginal Affairs Report 2013 tabled in parliament on Wednesday.

But the encouragement to report family violence and child neglect were likely to have played a part in the rise, the report said.

The data shows child protection rates for Aboriginal children are more than nine times that for non-Aboriginal children in Victoria and significantly higher than the national Aboriginal rate.

The tripling of family violence reports made by Aboriginals over the past seven years also showed victims were more confident to speak up.

While there had been some improvements in outcomes for Aboriginal Victorians, the report found child protection cases continued to rise, smoking rates remain high and Aboriginal adults continue to be over-represented in the justice system.