A new national First Nations Justice Network of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workers in the community legal sector have issued a call to action to the Federal Labor Government to deliver systemic and structural transformation for First Nations people in this term of government.

A truth-telling document created by First Nations staff from across the continent asserts that regression on Closing the Gap targets (on out-of-home care, adult incarceration, and suicide) is driven by deliberate government choices and demonstrates that the Stolen Generations never ended:

“We know the solutions, and so do governments. We are seeing regression on these Closing the Gap targets not because we don’t yet know the solutions, but because governments choose to pursue policies and practices that we and they know will worsen these problems.”

Serrina Kenny, a Yuin, Wiradjuri and Dunghutti Woman and Solicitor at a Queensland community legal centre said,

“My pop was taken from Cowra Mission up to Kempsey Boys’ Home, Kinchela. It’s exactly the same, the stories he tells me and the stories I hear today.”

“We’re still the cattle they’re making money off…Criminalising our people and removing our kids keeps people in jobs. Why can’t we create jobs in other areas that would be more supportive rather than dealing with things at the end?”

“We’re catching it as it gets to the point where someone’s committed an offence, when a parent is suffering from trauma. These things would have been prevented rather than dealing with things when they’re at the worst”

Bettina Cooper, Senior Financial Counsellor and Strategy Lead at Mob Strong said,

“There is no equity on the basic foundations. We are asking for commitments on structural transformation to bring equity in access to finances, access to housing, access to education.”

“Would we be in this situation with the number of kids removed, so many of our mob incarcerated, if there was equity there? They need to give as much funding as they do to putting us in prison, into those foundational things that would prevent prison.”

Authors express frustration with the volume of inquiries, reviews and consultations on First Nations issues with little then done to implement First Nations people’s expert advice.

Lisa Warner, a Yankunytjatjara Woman and Aboriginal Community Worker at a South Australian community legal centre said,

“How many of us have been part of evaluations, research papers, providing recommendations to governments? What they do then is take the information that we have gifted to them, dissect it like a frog, take bits, move around and shift things, and then tell us that they’ve decided what they think is best.”

“So, we are no longer writing recommendations to negotiate with government. This is not negotiable. It’s a call to action. You cannot dilute the cultural context around such important work; we are telling you now that these are the actions that must happen.”

Authors’ call to action is clear: “We call on governments to finally end the Stolen Generations, and to respect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ autonomy and self-determination”.

Read the document, first submitted to the Senate Inquiry into Measuring Outcomes for First Nations Communities, here.

Media contact: Riley Brooke, Community Legal Centres Australia – 0458 066 054