Agenda

The 2025 Overcoming Indigenous Family Violence Forum is now CPD Accredited. Attendees will receive 7 points per day, with a certificate immediately following the event.

DAY 1

DAY 2

WORKSHOP

Day 1

Day 1, May 27th

8:30

Welcome to Country

8:50

Chairperson's Opening Address

Thelma Schwartz, Principal Legal Officer, Queensland Indigenous Family Violence Legal Services (QIFVLS)

POLICY, LEGISLATION AND RESEARCH REFLECTED IN CULTURALLY APPROPRIATE SERVICE DELIVERY

9:00

In a Post-Referendum World, Now More Than Ever Every Aboriginal Woman’s Self-Determination Must be Invested In

Exploring how supporting Aboriginal women’s autonomy strengthens community-led solutions to family violence
Advocating for sustained investment in culturally safe programs and services that prioritise Aboriginal women’s voices and leadership in a post-referendum context

Antoinette Braybrook, Chief Executive Officer, Djirra

9:20

Panel: Understanding the Parameters of Coercive Control Legislation in Different States with a First Nations Lens

How do different states approach education on coercive control to clients and service providers
Helping clients to understand how to report coercive abuse
Understanding the risks associated with criminalising coercive control for First Nations people and strategies to mitigate some of these risks

Moderator: Thelma Schwartz, Principal Legal Officer, Queensland Indigenous Family Violence Legal Service (QIFVLS)

Tyne McConnon, Principal Lawyer, Family and Child Safety, Tasmanian Aboriginal Legal Service

Jordan Smyth,Executive Policy Officer, Central Australian Aboriginal Family Legal Unit (CAAFLU)

Melissa Clarke, General manager, National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service

10:00

Amplifying Unheard Voices: Systemic Failures and Strategic Solutions in Addressing Violence Against Indigenous Women

The crisis of violence against Indigenous women in Australia demands urgent action. Indigenous women face disproportionately high rates of violence, with recent data revealing they are up to 35 times more likely to be hospitalized due to family violence-related assaults compared to non-Indigenous women. Between 1989 and 2023, 476 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women fell victim to homicide, experiencing victimization rates up to seven times the national average.

We examine the systemic failures contributing to this crisis, including inadequate training, inconsistent application of domestic violence guidelines, delayed service responses, and the skepticism by some institutions towards Indigenous women's reports of violence. We also highlight the lack of culturally safe services and the misidentification of Indigenous women as perpetrators due to biased perceptions.

To address these issues, we propose a comprehensive approach focusing on community-led, culturally grounded interventions. This includes increased investment in specialist services, enhanced training for law enforcement and service providers to combat systemic racism, and the development of Indigenous-led data collection and analysis to inform policy decisions.

The next decade is crucial for achieving meaningful, lasting change. By centering Indigenous women's voices and experiences, we can work towards transforming responses to violence. This includes believing Indigenous women, providing safe accommodation options, and funding long-term, culturally safe and responsive services. Only through concerted effort and genuine commitment can we bring healing to our families and communities feeling the lasting impact of violence.

Professor Kyllie Cripps, Director, Monash Indigenous Studies Centre; Chief Investigator; ARC Centre for Excellence for the Elimination of Violence Against Women

Associate Professor Marlene Longbottom, Indigenous Education & Research Centre, James Cook University

Nardia Green

Tom Reuben

Aunty Dixie Link Gordon, Aunty in Residence, Full Stop Australia and Women and Girls Emergency Centre

10:30

Morning Tea

11:15

Indigenous Family Violence: The National Picture

What are the national frameworks for addressing Indigenous family violence and how do they translate to place-based grassroots initiatives
Examining the advantages of collaboration between national and local stakeholders
Identifying barriers to adapting national strategies for Indigenous family violence to local contexts

Kerry Staines, Chief Executive Officer, First Nations Advocates Against Family Violence (FNAAFV)

Wynetta Dewis, Chief Executive Officer, Queensland Indigenous Family Violence Legal Service (QIFVLS); Chair, First Nations Advocates Against Family Violence (FNAAFV)

LIVED EXPERIENCE TO ADVOCACY

11:50

Connection Workshops

Weaving Workshop: Connect with culture, Country and each other as you join a weaving circle with your peers led by Erica Eurell, Traditional Custodian of the Yugambeh language region (maximum capacity 40ppl, sign up on the day)
Re-Indigenising Leadership Through Sports: 10 Million Strong & Gymbox for Gender Equality in Papua New Guinea: Join Keesha Booth, General Manager of Grass Skirt Project Inc to explore a holistic, culturally grounded approach to addressing gender-based violence in PNG through: Violence prevention education tailored to Pasifika values. Nutrition and health education to promote well-being and resilience. Servant leadership training to build self-efficacy and empower future leaders. Entrepreneurial mindset development to help young people move from surviving to thriving.
Breaking Silent Codes of Sexual Violence in First Nations Communities: Yarn with Aunty Dixie Link-Gordon, Kowana Welsh and Yatungka Gordon as they discuss the importance of standing up and speaking out against sexual violence across Australia and the pacific.
Understanding Tech-Facilitated Abuse: Community Experiences and Responses: Yarn with eSafety Commissioner’s Carolyn Wilkes and Stef Tipping as they open the floor to explore tech- facilitated abuse in domestic, family and sexual violence (DFSV).
Language Yarn: Join Shaun Davies, certified linguist, and learn about the Yugambeh Language

12:50

Lunch

2:15

Case Study: Mudgin-Gal The only Aboriginal Women's Centre in Metropolitan Sydney, Entirely Operated by and for Aboriginal Women

How Mudgin-Gal uses culture and community to support women and children victims of domestic violence
Helping women identify the early signs of an abusive relationship
Sustaining our culturally informed care through the NSW government investment in Safe and Strong

Ashlee Donohue, Chief Executive Officer, Mudgin-Gal

2:40

Reclaiming safe spaces with collective cultural strength: We are bigger than our story

With our life experience comes community responsibility; we take this responsibility, as strong First Nations women, to pass on the skills we know and continue to learn, to our communities. Through the Breaking Silent Codes project and women’s collectives like Ya’Djin, we are reclaiming safe spaces for First Nations women, empowered by our cultures and collective strength to grow First Nations Governance in a sector dominated by non-Indigenous agencies.  

Kowana Welsh, Lived Experience Advocate; Board Member, Full Stop Australia; Senior Project Officer, Women and Girls Emergency Centre

Yatungka Gordon, Executive Officer, Breaking Silent Codes

Aunty Chantay, Ya’Djin

3:25

Afternoon Tea

HOLISTIC SUPPORT: ADDRESSING SOCIAL DETERMINANTS

3:55

Assisting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Families Through Difficult Times

Helping families in need to navigate the housing application process
Maximising the chances of tenants maintaining their tenancy through ongoing client support

Mary Doctor, General Manager, Umpi Korumba Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders Corporation for Housing

4:20

Case Study: Justice Reinvestment a Priority for change in Communities

Reducing contact with the criminal justice system through community empowerment

Taryn Ruska-Fisher, Community Justice worker, Minjerribah Moorgumpin Elders in Council (MMEIC)

Chelsea Rolfe, Research Worker, Minjerribah Moorgumpin Elders in Council (MMEIC)

4:50

Chairperson’s Closing Comments