- 10-year Aboriginal Family Safety Strategy co-designed with Aboriginal people to address the high rates of family violence
- Strategy prioritises Aboriginal-led responses to support family safety
- Forms a key part of the State Government’s response to Outcome 13 of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap
The State Government’s Aboriginal Family Safety Strategy (the Strategy) – which sets out a 10-year, cross-Government commitment to address disproportionate rates of family violence in Aboriginal families and communities – has been released today.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women are around 32 times more likely than non-Aboriginal women to be hospitalised for family violence.
The Strategy – the first of its kind in Western Australia – has been devised through extensive consultation in partnership with the WA Aboriginal community, the Department of Communities, and other State Government agencies.
The State Government is committed to the strategy’s vision that all Aboriginal families and communities are safe, strong, and happy – enabling future generations to thrive.
It commits Government, Aboriginal people, and the wider community to preference Aboriginal-led responses to family violence. That includes a focus on healing, supporting men and boys, transforming service provision to drive local, sustainable, and culturally safe solutions, and using culture as the guiding frame for prevention and early intervention.
In support of this, over $12 million of WA’s funding through the National Partnership Agreement on Family, Domestic and Sexual Violence is being provided to Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations and Aboriginal businesses for a range of programs to support Aboriginal family safety.
This includes $6.2 million for the Aboriginal Health Council of Western Australia to increase capacity of Aboriginal medical services to respond to family violence and over $1.8 million for outreach services to Aboriginal women and children in the community.
Leading this work with the Department of Communities is Dr Victoria Hovane (PhD), an Aboriginal woman from Broome belonging to the Ngarluma people of Roebourne in the Pilbara, and the Jaru and Gooniyandi peoples of the East and Central Kimberley regions. She is a registered psychologist and Managing Director of Tjallara Consulting, who provided family violence and cultural expertise in the development and drafting of the Strategy.
The Strategy forms part of the State Government’s response to Outcome 13 of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap – that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and households are safe. It also delivers on a priority action of the State Government’s Path to Safety: Western Australia’s Strategy to Reduce Family and Domestic Violence 2020-2030 to co-design and implement the Strategy.
The Strategy is being released during the State Government’s annual 16 Days in WA – Stop Violence Against Women.
To read the Aboriginal Family Safety Strategy 2022 – 2032 visit https://www.wa.gov.au/organisation/department-of-communities/aboriginal-family-safety-strategy.
As stated by Prevention of Family and Domestic Violence Minister Simone McGurk:
“We know that Aboriginal families are disproportionately impacted by family and domestic violence, and the State Government is committed to turning this around.
“Aboriginal people in Western Australia have long advocated for a dedicated response to family violence in Aboriginal communities, created in partnership with them.
“This Strategy builds on the strength of Aboriginal culture as a key element to create safe and thriving families.
“The State Government is committed to ensuring that this Strategy holds Aboriginal values, beliefs, culture, identity, and knowledge systems at the heart of holistic responses to support Aboriginal family safety.”
As stated by Aboriginal Affairs Minister Tony Buti:
“This Strategy aims to support Aboriginal-led responses to curtailing family and domestic violence.
“These sorts of culturally appropriate responses are best placed to build support networks in communities disproportionately impacted by family and domestic violence.
“We have recently provided a range of supports to strengthen the community-controlled sector work towards improving Closing the Gap outcomes.”
