Djirra’s Key Advocacy Priorities

Djirra’s expertise and self-determined solutions must be prioritised and invested in.

1. Invest in Djirra's Aboriginal Women’s Centre

Djirra is seeking sustained investment to establish Victoria’s first Aboriginal Women’s Centre - a culturally strong, Aboriginal-led place where women and children can access safety, justice, healing and community.

This vision is informed by:

• More than 20 years of frontline experience prioritising Aboriginal women’s safety in Victoria and nationally.
• Listening to, believing and investing in Aboriginal women’s self determination.
• A commitment to culturally strong, Aboriginal-led solutions, where culture, connection and healing are central to safety.
• International First Nations evidence gathered through a Churchill Fellowship undertaken by Djirra’s CEO, Antoinette Braybrook AM.
• Formal endorsement through the Yoorrook Justice Commission, which has recommended the establishment of Aboriginal Women’s Centres.

Our Aboriginal Women’s Centre is Djirra’s long standing vision and a long overdue investment in what we know works.

2. Invest in Djirra’s regional expansion

Djirra’s vision is clear: No Aboriginal woman should have to travel more than 100 kilometres or one hour to access safety for herself and her children.

Sustained investment will enable:

• Equitable access to Djirra’s specialist legal assistance, case management and counselling - services proven to save lives.
• Expanded access to early intervention and prevention programs and cultural and wellbeing workshops, including Koori Women’s Place, Sisters Day Out®, Dilly Bag and Young Luv®.
• The building and retention of a strong Aboriginal-led regional workforce, recognising that workforce stability is essential to cultural safety, staff wellbeing and consistent high quality service delivery.

Where Aboriginal women live should never determine whether they are safe.

3. Establish and fund Djirra's Child Protection Notification and Referral System

For more than a decade, Djirra has called for a Child Protection Notification and Referral System (CPNRS) in Victoria. This is Djirra’s self-determined solution to ensure Aboriginal women are immediately referred to culturally safe legal advocacy and wraparound support when Child Protection becomes involved.

Sustained investment will enable:

• Automatic referral of Aboriginal women to Djirra at the earliest point of Child Protection involvement.
• Immediate access to specialist legal advocacy for Aboriginal mothers affected by family violence.
• Prevention of child removal, by supporting women to safely escape violence with their children.
• Implementation of Yoorrook Justice Commission Recommendation 12.

Early intervention and prevention keeps families together and prevents lifelong harm.

4. End the unjust criminalisation and incerceration of Aboriginal women

Aboriginal women are one of the fastest growing prison populations in Australia - not because of increased offending, but because of systems that punish and blame, racism, misidentification and punitive laws.

Djirra is calling for:

• An end to misidentification and racialised policing that criminalises Aboriginal women instead of supporting them for their safety.
• A halt to punitive laws that disproportionately impact Aboriginal women and lead to child removal.
• Accountability across justice responses, so Aboriginal women are believed and supported, not punished for violence committed against them.
• Sustainable investment in wrapround services, including early intervention and prevention, and cultural programs that support Aboriginal women’s safety, cultural strength and wellbeing.

Criminalising Aboriginal women entrenches harm. It does not create safety.

 

Djirra is Aboriginal women’s self-determination in action. Aboriginal women have the solutions, and we have been clear about what keeps us safe.

The question is whether governments, funders and institutions are ready to listen - and invest.

We need everyone to walk with us.