The National Network expresses profound disappointment, though not surprise, at the report handed down by the Senate Committee in the inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women.
‘The recommendations outlined in the report fall far short of what is needed to address the ongoing crisis facing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women in Australia, said Tabitha Lean. ‘The recommendations are not bold and transformative. At best, they are lukewarm; at worst, they let down Aboriginal women again, much like the Australian Parliament continues to do, said Tabitha Lean.
‘In my submission to the inquiry, I called for a fundamental shift in approach. I stated that for any inquiry into this crisis to be meaningful, it must not bolster the carceral state. Recommendations that simply reinforce or extend the powers of the existing systems of racial and gendered violence, including policing and incarceration, will only result in more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women disappearing and being murdered, with their families left to bear the burden of seeking justice alone,’ said Debbie Kilroy, CEO of Sisters Inside and founding member of the National Network.
‘We need an independent national body dedicated to addressing this issue, free from the biases and failures of the current system. A body that doesn’t replace the already failed system. An independent body that is truly independent,’ said Debbie Kilroy.
‘We warned that an inquiry of this kind might extend or expand the carceral state. We said that solutions cannot be found in the hands of the police. Yet, the second recommendation made by the inquiry directly contradicts this position by tasking the Police Ministers Council with duties which will no doubt result in them arguing for more funding and resources to go to policing,’ said Debbie Kilroy.
‘The National Network maintains that these recommendations, which focus on expanding the powers of the police rather than addressing the root causes of the crisis, are insufficient and will fail to protect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women from further harm,’ said Debbie Kilroy. ‘The National Network calls for immediate action to establish an independent national body that operates outside of the current system, which has consistently failed to deliver justice for Indigenous women and their families,’ said Debbie Kilroy.
‘Justice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women requires more than just tweaking the existing system—it demands a complete rethinking of how we approach this issue,’ said Debbie Kilroy. ‘The time for half-measures has passed. We need real, transformative change, and we need it now,’ said Debbie Kilroy.
‘This report is extremely disappointing and does not address the urgency or extremity of the crisis surrounding disappeared Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and girls,’ said Dr Amy McQuire. ‘The report released 10 recommendations – only ten recommendations, which, when not calling for a carceral response, are vague and fail to address the root causes of racial and gendered violence. This is in comparison to the landmark Canadian inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls which released over 200 calls for justice, and deliberately situated the targeting of Aboriginal women for violence as a continuing genocide,’ said Dr Amy McQuire.
‘The inquiry’s refusal to deal with the enormity of this ongoing crisis, and its refusal to deliver adequate recommendations, sends a message: that this country does not care about black women,’ said Dr Amy McQuire.
‘This report is disappointing,’ said Tabitha Lean. ‘Aboriginal people are not the problem. The colony is,’ said Tabitha Lean.
For further comment, please contact Dr Amy McQuire on 0487 427 207, Debbie Kilroy on 0419 762 474 or Tabitha Lean on 0499 780 226
