AHRC commissioners call for action on findings of Senate report on murdered and missing First Nations women

Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner and Sex Discrimination Commissioner say the findings of a Senate inquiry into murdered and missing First Nations women provide more evidence of how to address violence against women and girls in First Nations communities.

Over two years in the making, the report from the Senate’s Legal and Constitutional Affairs References Committee was tabled in the Senate yesterday with key recommendations to improve how Australia deals with domestic and family violence experienced in First Nations communities.

Ground-breaking work undertaken by the Australian Human Rights Commission to advance the health, safety and rights of First Nations women and girls through its Wiyi Yani U Thangani (Women’s Voices) Project was referenced extensively throughout the report. 

The report’s 10 recommendations propose:

• New and sustainable funding for evidence-based community support and violence prevention programs led by First Nations women and tailored to community needs
• increasing the geographic spread and capacity of Family Violence Prevention Legal Services
• national best practice domestic violence and cultural safety training for police and other relevant service providers
• increasing police recruitment of First Nations people, including for senior management positions 
• better guidelines for reviewing past cases involving disappeared and murdered First Nations women and children
• a dedicated First Nations advocate in the national Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commission
• significant improvements to data collection and research about violence against First Nations women and girls
• independent annual audits of relevant national strategic plans to measure and evaluate progress on advancing the health, safety and rights of First Nations people
• improved standards for media reporting on murdered and disappeared First Nations women and children.    

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Katie Kiss said: “Any response to this issue must begin by acknowledging the heartbreaking loss to our communities of all First Nations women and girls who have been murdered or have disappeared, as well as the hurt and pain felt by their families. 

“This report will play a vital role in seeking justice for these women and their families as well as improving how we protect the safety and rights of our First Nations women and girls.

“Violence against First Nations women and children is a major problem, and we need to be clear-eyed not only about the nature and extent of this violence, but also about the root causes of this violence, and that’s prejudice, gender inequality and discrimination against women, lack of opportunity, personal trauma, intergenerational trauma and systemic racism. 

“Systemic failures not only drive the violence but also affect the provision and quality of care and support for women experiencing violence, and this includes failures by police, healthcare workers and other service providers.

“So, it’s a very complex issue which requires a multi-faceted response, and this has been recognised by the comprehensive nature of the report’s recommendations. But that response must be led by First Nations communities. We know what will work to protect our women and help our communities thrive, and governments and service providers need to give our communities the respect and resources we need to make this happen.”  

Sex Discrimination Commissioner Dr Anna Cody said: “The report makes clear how important systemic changes are for ensuring First Nations women and girls can be safe.  

“The report’s recommendations emphasise that any measures need to be developed and overseen by First Nations women and be tailored to specific community needs. Empowering communities through self-determination is crucial to effective and lasting change.

“The recommendations to improve how First Nations women access support and justice are also vital. We know that police and other service providers often respond with apathy, inaction, victim-blaming and perpetrator misidentification when First Nations women seek help with domestic and family violence. This creates mistrust and it prevents many First Nations women seeking help, leaving them with no support.

“I look forward to seeing police and service providers embedding these recommendations into their practice and working with First Nations communities to build the trust and respect that will save lives.”

ENDS | Media contact: media@humanrights.gov.au or +61 457 281 897