In a damning exposé, a landmark coronial inquest in the Northern Territory has laid bare the unspeakable horrors faced by Aboriginal women and the catastrophic failures of the very systems meant to protect them. The inquest, which delved into the tragic deaths of four deeply loved Aboriginal women at the hands of their male partners, has not only highlighted the NT’s ignominious status as the domestic violence capital of Australia but also shone a harsh light on a broken system buckling under the weight of its own inadequacies.
A Shameful Silence
Perhaps most damning of all is the deafening silence that has greeted these revelations. Eight Aboriginal women have been killed in alleged domestic violence incidents in the NT since June alone, yet there has been no national outcry, no vigils, no demands for change. As one advocate poignantly noted, “What is allowed to occur in the NT would not be tolerated elsewhere in Australia.”
The levels of violence, homelessness and poverty would not be accepted in Melbourne or Sydney, yet are thought acceptable for the people of the NT. And, most often, it is the lives of Territorian Aboriginal women who are most affected.
– A domestic violence sector advocate
A Pathway Forward
Amidst the heartbreak, however, there is a glimmer of hope. The coroner’s 35 recommendations offer a clear pathway to addressing and preventing the scourge of domestic, family and sexual violence in the Territory. Chief among them are:
- Establishing a peak body for the NT’s specialist domestic, family and sexual violence sector
- Fully funding programs for men who use violence, including a police co-responder model
- Mandatory specialist training for NT police and healthcare workers
Advocates stress that these solutions must be Aboriginal-led and locally driven, with a bolstered specialist workforce at the forefront. What they need now is real action from the NT government to implement the recommendations in full, coupled with long-term, adequate funding from the Commonwealth. Anything less, they say, would be “extremely hypocritical”.
More Than Just Numbers
Behind every statistic is a name, a face, a life cut tragically short. Kumanjayi Haywood. Ngeygo Ragurrk. Miss Yunupingu. Kumarn Rubuntja. These are the women we must remember – for their vibrancy, their laughter, their love. In implementing change, we honor their legacy and say enough is enough. It’s time for Aboriginal women’s voices to be heard, and their lives valued.
The solutions are there in black and white. What remains to be seen is whether those with the power to affect change will have the courage to stand up and be counted. The lives of Aboriginal women depend on it.
