Alva Connelly has made the move from Echuca for the opportunity to make a difference to her community. 

"I think it's going to be a long three years for me away from family and everything like that, but I also think this is important," she said. 

The state government's $3.5 million Aboriginal Mental Health Traineeship Program aims to ensure critical mental health services are culturally safe and appropriate for Indigenous communities. 

Bendigo Health is one of eight health services throughout the state hosting trainees for the three-year program, which combines on-the-job learning with a degree in mental health from Charles Sturt University.

The 10 trainees will be offered positions at their host organisations after graduation.

"We all know that Indigenous Victorians are over-represented when it comes to negative and poor outcomes in mental health and wellbeing," Mental Health Minister Martin Foley said.

"We have to make our services culturally appropriate and safe for our Indigenous brothers and sisters to feel that these services are a part of their community just as much as the rest of Victorians, and these programs are a start to make sure that happens."

RELATED: Bendigo consultation for Royal Commission into Mental Health

Ms Connelly is involved in the Njernda Aboriginal Corporation and said her work had given her exposure to the difficulties families were facing and the heartbreak and generational traumas people endured. 

She believed the traineeship program would provide better outcomes for Aboriginal people.

"It helps our people be able to access the mental health services and also be a part of the fight to get our own emotional wellbeing services in our own communities and that we service our own people as well," Ms Connelly said. 

The state government is also investing $4.9 million in building the Aboriginal mental health workforce in Aboriginal community-controlled health services.

"We're working on precisely which positions where as we speak," Mr Foley said.

He anticipated Indigenous wellbeing and Indigenous mental health would emerge as a 'major focus' of the Royal Commission into Mental Health.

Asked whether there were likely to be further investments in the space, Mr Foley said: "I would have thought it's inevitable."

Indigenous Australians experience higher rates of mental health issues than non-Indigenous Australians.

In 2017, deaths from suicide twice as high, hospitalisation rates for intentional self-harm were 2.7 times as high, and rates of high/very high psychological distress 2.6 times as high as for other Australians.

If you or someone you know is in need of support, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or lifeline.org.au. In an emergency, call 000.

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