The First Step Program

26/03/2026

Have your say about proposed local law changes affecting people sleeping rough.

The City of Port Phillip is consulting on a proposal that would allow council officers to remove and impound “encampment equipment”, items like tents, blankets, swags or cardboard used by people sleeping outside.

If people don’t reclaim these items in time, they may be disposed of.

Many local organisations, including First Step, believe that removing essential survival items is not a humane or effective response to homelessness. Real solutions require housing, outreach, and integrated support.

The consultation is open until 11:59pm on 29 March.

If you live or work in Port Phillip, you can complete the short survey and share your view with Council:

https://haveyoursay.portphillip.vic.gov.au/community-amenity-amendment

Every submission counts.

We’re proposing a change to the Community Amenity Local Law to clearly set out how we respond to camps on Council land.

25/03/2026

Clare Davies, CEO of SHARC, reflected on the emotional toll placed on lived experience communities repeatedly asked to co-design reforms that stall or retreat.

“We cannot keep inviting people into broken systems.”

Sustainable reform requires systems worthy of people’s trust and participation.

24/03/2026

Lead one of Australia’s pioneering Health Justice Partnerships.

First Step is seeking an experienced and values-driven leader to guide First Step Legal, our embedded community legal service within a nationally recognised integrated care model.

As Director, you will shape strategy, strengthen partnerships, and ensure the ongoing impact and sustainability of a service that supports people experiencing complex and overlapping challenges.

This is a unique opportunity to work at the intersection of health, legal and social care, leading a collaborative, multidisciplinary team committed to access to justice and whole-of-life support.

For more information: https://www.firststep.org.au/careers

Applications close: April 10, 2026

First Step is a completely independent not-for-profit organisation that provides a safe and nurturing work environment for people of all backgrounds, genders, religions, sexualities, ethnicities or any other factor.

23/03/2026

Sheree Lowe, Executive Director VACCHO, shared reflections from Victoria’s historic treaty process.

“Treaty is how we make the future possible.”

A shared future requires truth, accountability and self-determination.

19/03/2026

Sheree Lowe, Executive Director of VACHO’s Balit Durn Durn Centre and member of the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria, spoke directly about systemic harm.

“Racism is one of the leading factors that are killing our people.”

Health reform cannot ignore structural injustice.

17/03/2026

In considering what success looks like in 25 years, Paul Edbrooke reframed the goal at the First Step Futures Forum.

“It will be how much harm we have reduced.”

Progress is measured in lives stabilised, dignity restored and preventable deaths avoided.

12/03/2026

Paul Edbrooke MP addressed the reality often avoided in political debate.

“Substance use will always exist in our society.”

The question is not whether it exists, but whether we respond with punishment or with evidence-based care.

10/03/2026

The City of Port Phillip is considering changes to its Community Amenity Local Law that would allow authorised officers to remove and impound items used by people sleeping rough, including blankets, swags, cardboard and sleeping bags.

These items aren’t just belongings. They are often essential for safety and survival.

The proposal says this power would only be used as a “last resort”, after attempts to connect people with support services. But in practice, removing someone’s sleeping equipment can effectively force them to move on, often when they have nowhere else to go.

As a service working closely with people experiencing homelessness in our community, First Step believes responses should focus on housing, healthcare and support, not punishment.

The City of Port Phillip is currently asking for community feedback on the proposal.

If you live, work or spend time in Port Phillip, you can share your view before 29 March.

Have your say here:
https://haveyoursay.portphillip.vic.gov.au/community-amenity-amendment

Community voices matter in this process, and the number of responses can influence the outcome.

We’re proposing a change to the Community Amenity Local Law to clearly set out how we respond to camps on Council land.

10/03/2026

At the First Step Futures Forum, Clare Davies, CEO of SHARC, reflected on the gap between reform promises and real change. Speaking about the Royal Commission and lived experience leadership, she noted that the intention was genuine power-sharing , but systems were never truly asked to give up control.

“We don’t just have a policy problem. We have an implementation problem.”

The next 25 years will be defined not by what we promise, but by what we are prepared to implement.

05/03/2026

Paul Edbrooke MP, Parliamentary Secretary for Mental Health and Su***de Prevention, spoke about the fragmentation people experience when navigating services.

Looking to 2050, he imagined:

“Integration is not a pilot, but the default setting.”

Real reform means designing systems that recognise whole lives, not isolated issues.

03/03/2026

We were grateful to have Clare Davies, CEO of SHARC, join us at the First Step Futures Forum last week.

Clare spoke powerfully about what the next 25 years require of us - not just reform, but healing embedded into our systems, and lived and living experience centred as a foundation rather than an afterthought.

These conversations matter. The future of our sectors will be shaped by how willing we are to share power, listen deeply and follow through.

Thank you, SHARC, for your ongoing leadership and partnership in this work.

02/03/2026

At the First Step Futures Forum, Professor Patrick McGorry, Executive Director Orygen, challenged the room to confront a stark global imbalance. While mental illness represents a significant proportion of disease burden, funding does not reflect that reality.

“2% of health budgets around the world are spent on mental illness.”

If we are serious about reform, investment must match the scale of the problem.

VAADA - The Victorian Alcohol and Drug Association
Mental Health Victoria