Welcome to a new era of self-determination for the National Family Violence Prevention & Legal Services Forum, and its evolution to:
First Nations Advocates Against Family Violence
As of July 1, 2024, the National Family Violence Prevention and Legal Services Forum (the Forum) began operating as a standalone incorporated identity under the new company structure, strategic plan, name, and brand identity of First Nations Advocates Against Family Violence (FNAAFV).
The FNAAFV name and brand identity is representative of the evolution of the organisation to a self-determined, community-controlled, national peak body. While our name may be changing, we remain steadfastly committed to creating a future where all First Nations communities and individuals live free from the devastating impacts of family violence.
Learn more about the evolution of the FNAAFV brand in our company brand FACT SHEET.
'Community Connections' artwork by Nikita Herd.
FNAAFV works with its FVPLS members, communities, governments and other partners to raise awareness about family violence effecting First Nations people, and to advocate for culturally safe legal and other holistic responses to this issue. The organisation provides a unified voice for its FVPLS members in areas of national policy, planning and law reform, and being a member of the national Coalition of Peaks, FNAAFV is committed to the national Closing the Gap targets, including Target 13:
- “Target 13: By 2031, the rate of all forms of family violence and abuse against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and children is reduced at least by 50%, as progress towards zero.”
- Read more about the Closing The Gap Targets and the Priority Reforms of the National Agreement. The Government's response to Target 13 can be found here.
Rates of violence against First Nations women are 34 times higher than other women in Australia, and up to 80 times in the worst areas of the country
The scale of the problem is much greater than this, however, because it is known that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women are less likely than other women to report family violence or to seek support because of judgment, discrimination, shame or fear. The health and wellbeing of First Nations children depends upon the safety and resilience of First Nations women and families, so addressing family violence is a central priority in eliminating inter-generational disadvantage and discrimination against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia.
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Register your interest in joining the FNAAFV Community of Practice & attend our August meeting.
Our national Community of Practice is growing, and you’re invited to join the more than 150 members whose shared goal is to create alliances and networks aimed at reducing violence in ...our communities, in line with Target 13 of Closing the Gap National Agreement.
Driven and led by Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCOs), the group is establishing a broad, inclusive partnership with ACCOs and grassroots mainstream services committed to building the capacity of the sector to work together on the 4 Priority Reforms of the Closing the Gap.
Each month the group gathers online to learn from each other, share solutions, ideas, legislative changes and challenges to work together to address family violence in our communities. At each meeting we will hear from an expert in their field.
This month’s guest speaker is Tahlia-Rose Vanissum, a proud Woppaburra woman with a disability, a carer, and Traditional Owner of the Keppel Islands in Queensland. She is FNAAFV’s Strategic Director, and Chair of Sisters in Spirit Aboriginal Corporation - the only all-female-led Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation in the ACT. A recognised leader in disability rights and justice, she recently presented on an expert panel to State Parties at the United Nations’ 18th Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (COSP18). Her work spans government, community, and private sectors, driving systemic change for Indigenous peoples with disability and victim-survivors of violence.
In this presentation, Tahlia-Rose will share key findings and insights from the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability, alongside related research and publications, with a focus on their implications for the domestic, family and sexual violence sector. She will explore how the Commission’s recommendations can be translated into practical, culturally safe actions that strengthen the sector’s ability to respond to First Nations people with disability experiencing violence.
📅Date: Thursday, August 21
⏰Time: 1:30pm – 2:45pm AEST
📍REGISTER your interest in joining our Community of Practice and attend the next meeting: https://firstnationsadvocatesagainstfamilyviolence.snapforms.com.au/form/fnaafv-community-of-practice-registration
Congratulations to our friends at Central Australian Aboriginal Family Legal Unit - CAAFLU on 25 years of impact and achievement! We were honoured to join the celebrations at your gala event in Mparntwe/Alice Springs last night, reflecting on your journey so far and your bright future ahead! Well ...done also to your inspiring leader, Phynea Clarke for 25 years of amazing leadership and commitment to community.
It is always amazing to see our culture celebrated with pride and strength at the Garma Festival held on Yolŋu Country in the Northern Territory (NT) over the weekend - the largest cultural gathering of our people to share knowledge between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians every year. ...
It was also great to hear Federal Education Minister Jason Clare stand up there and call out the need for real accountability and reform in how federal funding is allocated in the NT Government.
As the national peak body for the Family Violence Prevention and Legal Services (FVPLS) sector, we strongly support Minister Clare’s position that the federal government’s funding to territories and agencies is not a blank cheque, and that financial support must be tied to meaningful reform and accountability for the Territory Government.
More importantly, we call for Federal funding to be tied to positive outcomes for our families and communities affected by domestic, family and sexual violence.
If governments are to genuinely shift outcomes, transparent and respectful collaboration with the FVPLS sector is essential. For decades, our members have delivered culturally safe, trauma-informed legal and support services to First Nations women and children—often with limited resources and without a seat at the table.
If the NT Government is serious about tackling family violence in their communities, transparent collaboration with the FVPLS sector is non-negotiable. Our members hold critical lived experience and trusted community networks.
FVPLS’ must be at the table and not excluded.
#FVPLS #FNAAFV #GarmaFestival #StopFamilyViolence
The Northern Territory (NT) Government’s response to a landmark domestic violence (DV) inquiry into the deaths of four Aboriginal women falls very short. The NT government has said that two-thirds of the recommendations are in place, but where is the evidence? What we do know is that Aboriginal ...women continue to be overrepresented as victims of DV in the NT.
This raises questions about how these recommendations are being realised, not whether they are useful. What is disappointing and short sighted is the refusal to support three key reforms, two of which are of particular relevance to our sector:
• Establishing a dedicated DFSV peak body
• Indexing frontline funding in line with rising costs
These aren’t big asks.
A peak body gives the sector a coordinated, independent voice to influence policy and support Aboriginal-led solutions.
Indexation ensures funding keeps up with inflation; essential for workforce stability and service continuity, particularly in remote communities.
Ultimately, this is about transparency. The NT Government must show:
• How implementation is happening
• Where improvements are needed
• How communities are being meaningfully involved
The Productivity Commission has released its latest #ClosingTheGap data report and yet again, there is no updated data for ‘Target 13: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and households are safe’.
That means we still have no current measure of how we are moving toward the ...reduction of violence in our communities, despite it being a national priority.
The only indicator remains a single, outdated measure from 2018–19. No new prevalence data. No real progress tracking. No accountability.
FNAAFV calls on all governments to work with our communities to develop robust, culturally safe indicators that reflect the true scale and impact of family, domestic and sexual violence in our lives.
You can’t close the gap when you refuse to measure it. Our people deserve better.
The full report from the Productivity Commission is available here: https://www.pc.gov.au/closing-the-gap-data/annual-data-report
#Target13 #DFSV #AccountabilityNow #JusticeForFirstNationsWomen #CTG #FNAAFV #FVPLS
FNAAFV acknowledges and respects the traditional custodians whose lands we are fortunate to live and work on and we pay our respects to all Elders past and present.
