This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

There is no excuse for the absence of Indigenous women in the decision-making of the nation, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social justice commissioner, June Oscar, has told a conference in Sydney.

“Make no mistake, we are not to blame for this,” she said. “When women’s positions are undermined continuously, the entire social fabric of life begins to unravel. A system which does not value the incredible worth and consequence of women’s actions is a broken system. And it is that system that breaks families and communities.”

Oscar was speaking on Thursday at the first national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women’s conference to be held in more than 30 years.



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She has been travelling to communities across Australia to hear directly from Indigenous women and girls, as part of a project called Wiyi Yani U Thangani, meaning “women’s voices” in Oscar’s language, Bunuba.



“After listening to well over 1,000 women and girls so far, this is what I know for certain: women are by far our most undervalued and essential resource,” Oscar said.



“While we are not heard, structural racism pervades our institutions and public spaces. This racism intersects with multiple forms of discrimination, further entrenching intergenerational trauma.

“This has a disproportional impact on our women. When our work should be celebrated and applauded, we are too often exposed to punitive legal and welfare systems that diminish who we are, and consequently curtail all our people’s rights and freedoms.

“The statistics of rising incarceration rates are evidence of punitive policies at work, entrenching cycles of poverty and abuse.

“There is a direct connection between our women being imprisoned, many of whom are mothers – our children being removed, increasing psychological stress – and a lack of stable and secure housing.

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“A system that should be enabling us to be all of who we are is either blocking us from achieving, or perpetrating injustices against us at every turn.

“This narrow frame of deficit and victimhood does not tell our story, it tells a story of a nation that has failed to include our voices in the decisions that affect our lives.”

Oscar told the conference that all the women she spoke to had deeply considered solutions and ideas to change ineffective systems and improve disadvantaged circumstances.



“Investing in our voices is an investment in a strong and vibrant social infrastructure that would revitalise the health, wellbeing and success of our communities,” she said.

“Our voices need to be at the front and centre of policy planning, design and implementation. Any less is not good enough.”

About 500 Indigenous women gathered in Sydney for the two-day conference, which aligns with this year’s Naidoc theme, “Because of Her, We Can”.

