Thursday, March 19, 2026

11:00 AM - 11:40 AM

Adelaide Oval - SANFL Chairman room

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Overview

Presented by: Regan Mitchell, Director of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Strategy, Our Watch 

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Details

Presented by: Regan Mitchell, Director of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Strategy, Our Watch The increasing rate of men’s violence against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women in Australia is unacceptable and requires an urgent national response. Between June and December 2024, at least 12 Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander women were reportedly killed due to men's violence, with 8 incidents occurring in the Northern Territory alone. Nationally, two in three Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 15 and over have experienced intimate partner or family violence (NATSIHS, 2018-19). There is no single ‘cause’ of violence against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, however, there are key underlying drivers that intersect to create an environment where violence is more likely to occur and be more severe. It will highlight the key underlying drivers of violence, such as the ongoing impacts of colonisation and systemic racism, and how these drivers disproportionately affect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and their children. Guided by Our Watch's framework, Changing the picture, the session will outline the essential actions needed to change this cycle of violence. These include addressing racist systems, structures, policies, beliefs and biases that enable violence, and adopting practices based on self-determination, decolonisation, truth-telling, and intersectionality, and the role men can play in this. Attendees will gain a nuanced and evidence-based understanding of the root causes of violence against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women as well as the essential role that people, including men, organisations and communities can play in reducing this violence, grounded in principles of self-determination, decolonisation and intersectionality. Key Learnings:  · Understand the root causes of gender-based violence against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and their children, · The ongoing impacts of colonisation, systemic racism and gender inequality · Learn about the actions people, communities, organisations and governments can take to address the drivers of violence against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and children evidenced in Our Watch’s Changing the picture framework.