A protest was held on the steps of the Victorian parliament featuring 121 empty chairs, each representing an Indigenous person who has died by suicide over the past five years. The demonstration was organized to draw attention to the state of Aboriginal mental health services and the pace of government reform.

According to the state’s peak body for Aboriginal health, all 121 of these deaths occurred following the release of the final report from the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System in March 2021. The commission’s report, which provided a roadmap for systemic change, placed a significant emphasis on the importance of Aboriginal self-determination, social and emotional wellbeing, and the creation of two dedicated cultural healing centres.

While the Victorian state government officially accepted all 65 recommendations from the commission’s final report, along with nine recommendations from the interim report, advocates argue that the implementation process has been insufficient. The protest serves as a public call for the government to accelerate its commitments to these reforms. The state government has not yet provided a detailed response to the specific claims regarding the delay in implementing the commission's findings.