We have many reasons to celebrate Australia, and coming together to foster understanding and connection among all cultures is an important part of our vision where all women are safe, respected and equal.
However, 26 January is a day of significant pain, sorrow and resistance for many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and their allies.
On this day and every day, Our Watch stands in solidarity with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, families and organisations and recognises the continuing colonialism that devastates communities and drives violence against women and their children.
Colonisation practices have current and lasting impacts in our systems, structures and attitudes. We see this in the unequal treatment that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people face and the everyday acts of racism they experience. When combined with sexism and other forms of oppression, this creates the conditions for violence against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and their children to continue.
Violence against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women is perpetrated by men of all cultural backgrounds, in many different ways, across Australia, as outlined in Changing the picture.
The evidence shows us that sexism and violence against women were not a part of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander traditional cultures before colonisation. The disproportionate rates of violence that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women face are not a reflection of their communities or cultures, but a consequence of entrenched racism, systemic inequality and ongoing impacts of colonisation.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women are leaders, and pillars of strength, within their families and communities. Since the beginning of colonisation, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women have brought innovative primary prevention solutions to the table, often with limited resources and often with positive outcomes for all of the Australian community.
As an ally organisation, part of our role is to amplify and strengthen these community-led solutions so that we can support a path towards healing.
Acknowledging our shared history and engaging in truth-telling is an essential first step toward healing. This embodies Makarrata, a Yolŋu term that means coming together after a struggle to confront past injustices and build a better future.
After the 2023 Voice Referendum, we know that there are at least 6 million allies in Australia who value the cultural knowledge, wisdom and practices that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people generously share with broader society. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, families and communities continue to embody strength, care for Country and work towards a fair and equal future in Australia.
Today and every other day, we all must demonstrate our commitment to allyship by taking action to prevent violence against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and their children, as outlined in Changing the picture:
Violence against all women, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women is preventable. By committing to addressing the drivers of this violence every day, across all levels of society, we can work towards an equal, safe future for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, children, families and communities.
Please contact media@ourwatch.org.au or call 0448 844 930.
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1800RESPECT is the national domestic, family, and sexual violence counselling, information and support service. If you or someone you know is experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, domestic, family or sexual violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732, chat online via www.1800RESPECT.org.au, or text 0458 737 732. Men’s Referral Service: 1300 766 491.
Access guides for reporting about violence against women and their children.
Our Watch is Australia’s leader in the primary prevention of violence against women. The organisation was created to drive nation-wide change in the practices, norms, and structures that lead to violence against women and children. Read more about Our Watch here.