Please see Dr Kristen Smith

Reducing the risk of family violence for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is a national priority, embedded within a range of historical, cultural, social, legal, and policy complexities. Further, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in regional and remote communities face additional challenges when dealing with their experiences of violence, compared to those in metropolitan areas. This presentation draws on the findings from three mixed-methods research projects conducted in three regional and remote case study areas, across three jurisdictions of Australia: Mildura (Victoria), Albury Wodonga (New South Wales/Victoria, and Kununurra (Western Australia). The research data gathered and analysed included relevant administrative and other secondary datasets, participant observation, semi-structured interviews, and focus groups. Qualitative interviews and focus groups were undertaken with Aboriginal men and women who had experienced and/or perpetrated family violence, frontline family violence support service providers, health providers, police, court officers, child protection workers, and other related stakeholders. The presentation will outline some of the key findings of these projects, including priorities for reducing and preventing violence against, and improving services for, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and men across Australia. Other issues addressed will include recommendations pertaining to the complex legal implications for people living in cross-border contexts, the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the criminal legal system, the associations between family violence and alcohol and other drugs, capability and knowledge gaps within frontline family violence services, and resources required for the Aboriginal community-controlled sector.