hospitalised because of violence, and the rates of such violence are
significantly underreported.165 First Nations women are 11 times more likely
to die due to assault than non-Indigenous women.166
118. First Nations children are significantly over-represented in care and
protection systems, and family violence is a key factor driving the contact of
First Nations families with child protection authorities167 It is also a factor
that leads to women having greater interaction with the criminal justice
system.168
119. The Commission’s Wiyi Yani U Thangani project has been funded by the
Australian Government and identifies actions to improve the human rights
of First Nations women and girls. This includes an urgent focus on reducing
over-representation of Indigenous people victims of family violence, and in
care and protection systems, with a focus on trauma recovery. A key
recommendation is the development of a National Action Plan for Aboriginal
and Torres Islander Women and Girls.169 The Commission welcomes the
recent commitment by the Australian Government to delivering a dedicated
National Plan for First Nations people to end family violence and violence
against women.170 The Commission will host a summit of First Nations
women and girls in early 2023 to input into government policies and
frameworks.
120. The Commission emphasises the importance of ensuring that this National
Plan is self-determined, and that First Nations women and children are at
the centre of its design and delivery.171 The Commission also stresses that
sustained investment in community-controlled services and programs is
crucial to preventing and responding to family violence and its impacts on
children.
121. To address systemic failures associated with domestic and family violence,
the recommendations of Coronial Inquests should be fully implemented.
The Commission has previously called for a coherent national system of
death reviews to consider cross-jurisdictional issues and ensure accurate
monitoring. The Commission made recommendations to support this in its
2016 report, A National System for Domestic and Family Violence Death
Review.172
Recommendation 27: Governments implement the recommendations of
the Wiyi Yani U Thangani report.
Recommendation 28: Governments resource Aboriginal-controlled
organisations to lead prevention efforts and respond to family violence
and its impacts on children.
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