Webinar:
Understanding the role of Law and Culture in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in responding to and preventing family violence

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, as with every community in Australia, are working to address domestic and family violence.

Many have advocated for community-led approaches to family violence that are culturally safe, involve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander justice models and recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Law and Culture.

This webinar will explore the ANROWS research, ‘Understanding the role of Law and Culture in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in responding to and preventing family violence’. The panel of researchers will discuss:

• family violence as shaped by the impacts of colonisation
• how responses to family violence in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities should move away from the mainstream legal system and be grounded in Law and Culture
• addressing family violence through healing intergenerational trauma on country
• community-driven approaches that involve elders, and men and women working together
• recommendations for policy and service change.

There will also be a live Q&A.

This webinar is designed for:

• practitioners, policymakers and researchers working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, in particular domestic and family violence services
• practitioners and policymakers in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander services
• practitioners and policymakers working in related areas and services such as courts and police, housing, health, land management, and community support.

Enquiries: [email protected]

WATCH

Presenters

Dr Harry Blagg
Harry is a leading criminologist specializing in Indigenous people and criminal justice, young people and crime, family and domestic violence, crime prevention, diversionary strategies, policing and restorative justice. He has over 25 years’ experience in conducting high level research with Aboriginal people across Australia (including urban, rural and remote locations) on justice related issues. Currently, Harry is a Winthrop Professor of Criminology and Director of the Centre for Indigenous People and Community Justice, at the Law School, University of Western Australia. From 2001/2006 Harry was Research Director of the West Australian Law Reform Commission’s reference: Aboriginal Customary Laws. Harry has a special interest in decolonising theory and practice around issues such as family violence and encouraging Indigenous perspectives grounded in the experience of colonisation and trauma as essential to creating new place-based initiatives. Harry led the ANROWS funded research ‘Understanding the role of law and culture in Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities in responding to and preventing family violence’ published in June 2020.

Dr Victoria Hovane
Dr Victoria Hovane is an Aboriginal woman and belongs to the Ngarluma people of Roebourne in the Pilbara, and the Jaru and Gooniyandi peoples of the East and Central Kimberley regions. She is a registered psychologist and an experienced consultant and practitioner having worked in various legal, social welfare, justice, and research roles over the past 37 years. Currently, Victoria holds an Adjunct Professor position at the Law School, University of Western Australia, and specialises in the area of addressing the cultural needs of Aboriginal people in various settings including the child protection, legal, courts and correctional systems, with a particular emphasis on understanding intergenerational trauma including family violence and sexual assault, and its multiple impacts in Aboriginal communities. Victoria was part of the research team for the ANROWS funded research project ‘Understanding the role of law and culture in Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities in responding to and preventing family violence’. Victoria spent six years as an Independent Director on the Board at ANROWS and currently is the Chair of the Board with the Aboriginal Family Law Service. Victoria also is a member of numerous committees and advisory groups including the WA Minister for Family Violence and the Advisory Group for the Australian Primary Prevention of Sexual Violence project.

Donella Raye
Donella Raye is a Jabirr Jabirr and Bardi woman of the Kimberly region in Western Australia. She has worked in numerous senior and executive management roles both within government and private industry. She held policy advisor positions, and senior executive policy positions within the Commonwealth (ATSIC State Policy Office) as advisor on Aboriginal Criminal Justice issues, Aboriginal Women’s issues and Aboriginal Family Violence, and State Governments (Office of Aboriginal Health) where she provided advice on Aboriginal Health issues. She also worked for many years as a Corporate Affairs Manager within the resources and mining industries, prior to being engaged by the Kimberley Land Council (KLC) to assist with the negotiations of the Browse LNG Agreement. Donella then took on the role of Chief Executive Officer of Waardi Limited (an entity responsible for the implementation of the Browse LNG Agreement, and the establishment of Guumbarr Limited and various Trusts). She was part of the research team for the ANROWS funded research project ‘Understanding the role of law and culture in Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities in responding to and preventing family violence’.

Dr Tamara Tulich
Dr Tamara Tulich is a Senior Lecturer at UWA Law School. Tamara researches and publishes in the areas of preventive justice, anti-terror lawmaking and indefinite detention regimes, and is a co-editor of the collection Regulating Preventive Justice (Routledge, 2017). Tamara’s recent research projects focus on expanding diversionary alternatives for Aboriginal youth with Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, reform to Australian proceeds of crime legislation and the recently published ANROWS funded research ‘Understanding the role of law and culture in Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities in responding to and preventing family violence’.

Facilitator

Dr Heather Nancarrow
Dr Heather Nancarrow is the CEO of Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety (ANROWS). For more than 35 years, Heather has worked to address violence against women, including in community services and advocacy, government policy, and research.

Heather is an Adjunct Associate Professor at UNSW and an Adjunct Research Fellow at the Griffith Criminology Institute, Griffith University.. Her scholarship is focused on justice responses to violence against women, particularly as they relate to violence in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Heather’s book, Unintended Consequences of Domestic Violence Law: Gendered Aspirations and Racialised Realities was published in 2019 by Palgrave Macmillan.