First Nations women are 32 times more likely to be hospitalised and 11 times more likely to die from assault than other women in Australia. And yet, there is no national plan or policy that addresses the specific safety of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and children. 

Last week Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner June Oscar hosted the the Wiyi Yani U Thangani (women’s voices in Bunuba language) Women’s Safety Policy Forum online. 

More than 150 women – including specialist experts, researchers, frontline workers and women with lived experience of violence – attended the forum. 

It provided a dedicated space for First Nations women to speak on their own terms to government, policymakers and service providers about addressing violence in First Nations communities. 

“The forum is part of an important process that ensures Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women’s voices are having input into government policies,” Ms Oscar told the Koori Mail…