Report handed down after Senate inquiry into missing and murdered First Nations women and children

Trigger warning: This article mentions gendered and domestic violence.

After two years of public hearings, a Senate inquiry into missing and murdered First Nations women and children has made 10 recommendations in its final report handed down on Thursday.

The report concluded that there has been “little, if any, justice” for missing and murdered First Nations women and children and that often situations and circumstances surrounding these cases were “predictable and preventable.”

The inquiry was first announced in 2021 after a motion was brought by Greens Senator Dorina Cox. 

"It's been 20 years in the making for me to be here and to provide this motion," Senator Cox said at the time.

"This is what happens when you have grassroots senators, First Nations people, here in the parliament, to bring important opportunities for the voices of the voiceless."

But, on Thursday, Senator Cox said the recommendations in the committee’s final report  didn’t go far enough in offering solutions. 

“This report is about deliberate actions and failures of a system that has at its heart racially and gendered violence. It is, in fact, a form of genocide when the system doesn’t properly respond to save the lives of First Nations people, and there must continue to be outrage about this happening in a modern day country like Australia,” Senator Cox told the Senate.

The recommendations handed down by the committee include a review of policing in each jurisdiction across the country to ensure police interactions with First Nations people are “consistent and of a high standard”. 

Participants in the inquiry argued police forces do not appropriately engage with First Nations people, with their evidence highlighting instances of:

• Delayed responses to reports of missing and murdered First Nations peoples 

• Inadequate responses to reports of domestic violence from First Nations women and;

• Discriminatory and racist attitudes toward First Nations people.

The committee recommended each state and territory “aim to implement and harmonise best police practices by 31 December 2025.”

In their submissions, Change the Record and Djirra - both First Nations-led organisations working to prevent family violence experienced by First Nations women and children -  argued that police do not allocate sufficient resources to investigating the disappearance of First Nations women and children.

Ms Antoinette Gentile, Acting Chief Executive Officer of Djirra said in their submission “it is likely, therefore, that some of these deaths have been misrecorded as suicides or accidents.” 

In a statement ahead of the release of the report, Djirra CEO and Change the Record Chair, Antoinette Braybrook said it was “a defining moment in this country.” 

“We will always remember what the Government does now,” said Ms Braybrook. 

“We are watching, and we will continue to demand change. This MUST NOT be another report that sits on a shelf gathering dust.”

Djirra also called for “accurate and up-to-date data on the rate of violence against our women and children.”

“Data about the rate of violence against Aboriginal women and children in the national Closing the Gap report – which many leaders look to when making decisions that directly affect our women’s and children’s safety – has not been updated in over six years,” said Ms Braybrook.

“Let’s be honest. We would not be willing to accept this complete lack of accountability and such outdated data about the safety of other women and children.” 

“This failure by governments to take even the most basic accountability for the safety of our women and children is completely outrageous. You cannot manage what you do not measure. And it tells us we have so much more to do.” 

In a statement to Missing Perspectives following the release of the report, Ms Braybrook said Djirra welcomed the recommendation that funding be urgently distributed to First Nations led family violence prevention and legal services like Djirra.

However, Ms Braybrook reiterated that Djirra does not support any recommendation that “sees governments pour even more public money into policing”.

“Changes to police practice must be delivered within existing policing budgets, so more public funds are not directed away from frontline services,” said Ms Braybrook.

“Police must take every report of violence against an Aboriginal woman or child seriously and investigate immediately and thoroughly. This includes alleged ‘disappearances’ and First Nations women’s deaths incorrectly assumed to be suicides, road accidents, or overdoses.

“This is the absolute minimum all of us should expect the police to do.”

Ms Braybrook said Djirra was concerned the committee did not recommend addressing outdated data that is relied upon to inform policy decisions.

“Our services and holistic support save lives. We must be properly resourced to ensure our women and children can access holistic, culturally safe services and support wherever they are across the country,” she said.

“However, we are concerned that the recommendations are silent on the fact that the Closing the Gap data used to make decisions that directly impact our women’s and children’s safety is now more than six years out of date. You cannot manage what you don’t measure.”

Ms Braybrook acknowledged those who bravely shared their stories throughout the inquiry.

“Through this landmark inquiry, First Nations people have told our truths,” she said.

“Truth is uncomfortable. It can be painful. But it must be spoken, it must be heard, and Governments must act on it. You cannot un-hear us now. We are watching, and we will continue to demand change.”

If you or anyone you know is affected by domestic, family or sexual violence and needs support, please call 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or 13YARN on 13 92 76 (24 hours/7 days) and talk with an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Crisis Supporter.