Kara Cook (Bonner, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

by leave—On behalf of the member for Lingiari, I move:

That this House:

(1) commends the Government for launching Our WaysStrong WaysOur Voices: National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Plan to End Family, Domestic and Sexual Violence 2026-2036, a plan which is:

(a) Australia's first standalone plan that strives for a future where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and children can live free from violence;

(b) developed in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and state and territory governments; and

(c) backed by $218.3 million in new funding, that as an immediate step will invest in a national network of up to 40 Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations to deliver community-led specialist support services;

(2) recognises that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women have been:

(a) steadfast in their advocacy to be safe and to be heard; and

(b) calling for strong action;

(3) further recognises that the Government is doing just that by funding support programs like:

(a) mobile teams in remote areas to work with families after a violent incident, or offer safe transport and emergency accommodation;

(b) plans to help victims leave violence safely and continued support once they have;

(c) community playgroups where mums and bubs can connect with elders, receive parenting support, and be linked to early help and healing; and

(d) behavioural change and education, like outreach programs for men and boys;

(4) notes that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women face unique and significant barriers to getting help, and are:

(a) seven times more likely to be victims of intimate partner homicide; and

(b) 27 times more likely to be hospitalised due to family violence, which increases to 41 times more likely in regional and very remote communities;

(5) further notes that this plan:

(a) will make real progress in addressing Target 13 (family violence) of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap and contribute to Target 12 (out-of-home care);

(b) responds to eight recommendations in the Missing and Murdered First Nations women and children inquiry report of the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Reference Committee; and

(c) responds to 12 recommendations in the report of the Rapid Review of Prevention Approaches, Unlocking the Prevention Potential: Accelerating action to end domestic, family and sexual violence; and

(6) calls on the Parliament to support this vital plan to ensure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and children can live free from violence.

I want to start by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which we gather, the Ngunnawal and Ngambri people, and pay my respects to elders past, present and emerging. My husband, Josh, is a proud Waanyi and Kalkadoon man, and I stand here today as the proud mum of three First Nations children. It is an absolute honour to speak on this motion moved by me but brought to this place by the member for Lingiari, and I thank her for bringing this motion to the chamber and for her advocacy over decades in advancing the interests of First Nations Australians.

In February I had the profound honour of standing alongside my mother-in-law, Sandra Creamer, as the Albanese Labor government launched Our Ways—Strong Ways—Our Voices, the national plan to end family, domestic and sexual violence against First Nations women and children, right here in Parliament House. I want to acknowledge Sandra and the many, many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women who have been steadfast in their advocacy to be safe, to be heard and to drive change to ensure that this plan became a reality. This plan stands on the shoulders of that advocacy over not years but decades. It is Australia's first standalone plan dedicated to ending domestic and sexual violence against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and children. It is a genuine partnership between governments and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and it is backed by a $218.3 million investment in new funding to deliver real change on the ground.

The reality we are confronting is devastating in our country. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women are seven times more likely to be murdered by their partners than non-Indigenous women and 27 times more likely to be hospitalised due to family violence, rising to 41 times more likely in remote and regional communities. This is not just a policy challenge. It is a national crisis, and it demands action. Every woman and child deserves to live free from violence. That is not negotiable.

This plan is not just about responding to violence. It is about listening and acting. For decades, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women have told us what is needed—community led solutions, culturally safe services and systems that respect their voices through extensive consultation, including direct engagement with women, communities and even children and young people. This plan reflects those voices. It reflects a simple truth—that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and children are not just victims or survivors of this crisis; they are central to the solutions. As has been said for generations, they are the nurturers, the teachers, the protectors and the carriers of culture and identity, even in the face of profound adversity.

This plan turns those voices into action. It invests in a national network of up to 40 Aboriginal community controlled organisations, delivering specialist, culturally safe, community led services because we know that real change happens when communities lead that change. It funds practical immediate supports, mobile outreach teams in remote areas, safe transport and emergency accommodation so that, when violence occurs, women and children can access help quickly and safely. It supports women to leave violent situations and, importantly, to stay safe after they leave. It invests in early intervention through initiatives like community playgroups, where mothers and young children can connect with elders, accessing parenting support, and link to early help and healing. It backs prevention through programs that work with men and boys to challenge harmful behaviours and build respectful relationships.

This plan also recognises the importance of healing the impacts of intergenerational trauma. Dispossession and discrimination are real, and they continue to shape the experiences of many communities, but so too does the strength of culture, connection and country. That is why healing programs grounded in culture and led by community are central to this plan.

Importantly, this plan is not operating in isolation. It does contribute to Closing the Gap, particularly target 13, to reduce family violence, and target 12, to reduce the overrepresentation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care. Labor promised to deliver this plan and we have delivered it. The work is not over. It is just beginning.

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