Wiyi Yani U Thangani (women's voices): First nations women's safety policy forum outcomes report

Across Australia, First Nations women are leading the conversation on what real safety looks like — and how to achieve it.
The First Nations Women’s Safety Policy Forum: Outcomes Report (2022) captures their priorities for preventing violence, strengthening community leadership, and embedding self-determination in policy and service design.

Developed through a national forum convened by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, the report brings together lived experience and community knowledge to guide governments and services toward culturally grounded, community-led approaches. Participants identified key actions — including developing a National First Nations Women and Children’s Safety Strategy, investing in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled organisations, and ensuring women’s voices shape all safety and justice policies.

The report also emphasises the importance of trauma-informed care, culturally safe services, and long-term structural reform to address the drivers of violence such as poverty, racism and gender inequality. At its core is a call for shared accountability — recognising that real change depends on partnership, respect, and listening to the women who are already leading solutions in their communities.

For community work and policy professionals, this report offers a clear picture of what must change — and how lasting safety can only be achieved when First Nations women lead the design, decisions and delivery of the systems that affect their lives.