Our Ways – Strong Ways – Our Voices

National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Plan to End Family, Domestic and Sexual Violence 2026–2036

Our Ways – Strong Ways – Our Voices is a whole-of-society approach to increasing safety, wellbeing and healing for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and children. 

Our Ways – Strong Ways – Our Voices is the result of decades of advocacy, leadership and collective wisdom from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, communities and services to address the complex issue of family, domestic and sexual violence. The Plan has been developed in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, organisations and individuals; voices that have long been calling for a national plan dedicated to the safety of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and children.

The standalone Plan is the first of its kind and is intended to increase the safety and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and children. It will do this by setting the future direction of all government action in the family, domestic and sexual violence service system under the National Agreement on Closing the Gap, primarily Target 13. Target 13 commits governments to reducing all forms of family violence and abuse against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and children by at least 50 per cent by 2031, as progress towards zero.

Central to Our Ways – Strong Ways – Our Voices is a strong emphasis on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled responses, family strengthening, early intervention and culturally responsive healing approaches. The Plan recognises that safety and wellbeing are built through supporting families, culture, connection to Country and community-led solutions, rather than relying on child protection responses alone.

Our Ways – Strong Ways – Our Voices acknowledges that family, domestic and sexual violence does not occur in isolation. The Plan commits to addressing the underlying drivers of harm, including poverty, housing insecurity, intergenerational trauma, unmet disability and developmental needs, mental health and substance use challenges, and systemic racism. It recognises the role of systems such as justice, health, housing, education and child protection, and the need for these systems to be culturally safe, accessible, accountable and shaped by community.

With Our Ways – Strong Ways – Our Voices now released, work is underway to develop a dedicated Action Plan and establish monitoring, evaluation and accountability frameworks that include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representatives from each state and territory.

Development Process and Engagement

The development of Our Ways – Strong Ways – Our Voices was shaped through extensive, culturally responsive engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities. Engagement activities included:

• lived experience discussions about safety and wellbeing,
• engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled organisations about barriers and enablers,
• dialogue with governments about systemic change and accountability,
• public submissions, including written and audio contributions, which closed on 4 November 2024, and
• targeted engagement with children and young people, including creative methods such as PhotoYarn to explore what safety means to them.

The engagement phase prioritised elevating diverse voices and experiences, recognising the complexity of intersectional needs within families and communities, and the importance of knowledge held by people who have not always been included in previous consultations.

Links to Public Submissions

Our Ways – Strong Ways – Our Voices draws on the best available evidence from research, policy reviews, government data, system evaluations and promising practices. It builds on existing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led policy efforts and formal government commitments under the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children and the National Agreement on Closing the Gap. The plan also responds to national inquiries and government commitments, including the Rapid Review of Prevention Approaches and the Senate Inquiry into Missing and Murdered First Nations Women and Children, ensuring lived experience and independent evidence inform practical action.