A draft strategy to reduce violence against First Nations women and children has been criticised as meaningless by a justice advocacy organisation, but the government insists it is serious about improving outcomes for Indigenous families | CameronGooley
A new draft strategy to reduce violence against First Nations women and children has been criticised as a meaningless plan by a national justice advocacy organisation, but the federal government insists it is serious about improving outcomes for Indigenous families.
was released for consultation on Friday, and it included two five-year plans for First Nations people.Under the draft, a federal government-appointed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander advisory council would create a First Nations-specific plan with a focus on addressing the drivers of violence, systemic change, and encouraging shared decision-making with communities. But the announcement has been met with exasperation by Indigenous advocacy group Change the Record. Its co-chair, Narungga woman Cheryl Axleby, said the issue was too significant for Indigenous people to be a footnote in a larger plan. “We need a dedicated self-determined national plan which isn’t a footnote to a mainstream report, which is the issue that we face time and time again,” she said. Indigenous women face violence at dramatically higher rates than non-Indigenous women. According to the draft, Indigenous women had reported experiencing violence in the last 12 months at 3.1 times the rate of non-Indigenous women surveyed. It also said Indigenous women were 32 times more likely to be admitted to hospital for family violence, and 11 times more likely to die due to assault. The national agreement on Closing the Gap, agreed to by all governments in Australia, has a target to reduce the rate of family violence by 50 per cent by 2031, with an eventual aim of zero.“What we have again is a plan to develop another plan, which is what we always face with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander issues, particularly with women and family violence," Ms Axleby said. “The last 12-year national action plan has been a failure for all women, but particularly our women, so we need new strategies and adequate funding.” She urged the government to commit funding to specific projects and community-controlled organisations, which has not been done in the draft. Minister for Women’s Safety Anne Ruston said the plan had a special focus on ending violence against Indigenous women and children, and highly respected community leaders would sit on the government’s advisory council. “Addressing the rates and issues surrounding family and gendered violence within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities must be a national priority and for our next national plan to be silent on those issues would be totally inappropriate,” she said. “It is possible to do both which is why we will have two dedicated action plans for First Nations people developed by First Nations people and will also embed our Closing the Gap commitments in the national plan.” The chair of the advisory council, Waanyi and Kalkadoon woman Sandra Creamer, said change would come slowly as the plan progressed. “It's about leadership, Indigenous people taking the lead when it comes to domestic violence, family violence, and the issues that are affecting them in their own communities," she said. Ms Creamer, who is also the chief executive of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women’s Alliance, said the draft built on the previous plan and would empower people to help change their communities. Her council is also committed to ensuring all funding provided for women’s safety flows directly to Indigenous organisations. “As the advisory council one of the things that we have put forward, and we’re very, very firm on this, is that funding has to go to Aboriginal and Torres Strait organisations and has to be community led.” The Morning Edition newsletter is our guide to the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights.
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