hen I took my seat in the Senate during the 46th Parliament in September 2021, I had one pressing priority: to initiate an inquiry into missing and murdered First Nations women and children. We got the inquiry up with unanimous support from all sides of Parliament, which was fortunate because we had to re-introduce the inquiry and gain that support again following the election of a new government in August 2022. 

Since then I have worked closely with the committee chair, Liberal Senator Paul Scarr, and deputy chair, Labor Senator Nita Green, to drive the inquiry forward in a trauma-informed and culturally-sensitive way with Welcome to Country, smoking ceremonies, yarning and additional support for families introduced to the standard inquiry format. 

I initiated the inquiry to highlight the barriers to justice faced by First Nations families when a loved one disappears and is murdered. The committee has heard devastating truths from families in NSW and WA so far, and will continue to hold hearings on Country in other states and territories this year.

It’s been important to me to ensure that the focus of the hearings has been about the families whose lives have been ripped apart by the murder of their daughters, mothers, sisters and in some instances the devastating loss of children. These are their stories, their truths to be listened to.

These violent acts result in intergenerational trauma that affect the lives of First Nations families in so many ways. Child survivors of family violence have their childhoods taken away, impacting their ability to form healthy relationships as adults. Trauma is carried into adulthood and when untreated, passed on to the next generation.

I’m a descendant of five generations of stolen children, and a line of strong women who have faced family violence. That trauma lives on in my family, like many other First Nations families across the country.

s a former police officer and a family violence researcher, I had a snapshot, but not a clear picture of the enormity of violence-related issues happening in our communities, and the lack of justice First Nations people receive compared to white Australians.

Help-seeking behaviour positions the police centrally in situations of family violence. Yet as a police officer, I saw how repeated failures to respond, lack of understanding trauma responses,  oppressive techniques, and child removals amplify the distress of everyone involved. We need to address this, and ensure access to age-appropriate, culturally-sensitive healing and support services are readily available, well-resourced, and co-designed with community.

The federal budget was handed down last week and I welcome the government’s commitment to supporting First Nations women, children, and families who are victim-survivors of family violence. 

The budget commitment is a result of the inquiry highlighting systemic failings and the many years of tireless advocacy in this space by many people. The budget commitment addresses the lack of harmonisation of government data on missing and murdered First Nations women and children across the states and territories.

It also prioritises a stand-alone Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Plan for family violence which is something I, and many of my First Nations colleagues, have been calling for over many decades. 

It’s promising that the government is listening, but we have a long way to go to bridge the justice divide for the families of missing and murdered First Nations women and children.

The inquiry will deliver its final recommendations later this year. When it does, I hope the government takes action to respond strongly and swiftly to implement the recommendations so prevention and justice responses can assist First Nations victim-survivors, families and communities to heal from family violence.

For more information: Missing and Murdered First Nations Women and Children Inquiry.

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