SNAICC in the News

22–28 August 2026

SNAICC’s evidence to the parliamentary inquiry into racism, hate and violence reached new readers this week, with coverage running in the West Australian, Style Up and First Nations News.

The Koori Mail carried the funeral of Kumanjayi Little Baby, NITV’s The Point replayed an episode featuring SNAICC’s Youth Voice initiative, and First Nations TV aired our Strategic Plan 2025–2028 video.

Here is a look at where the conversation has been, 22–28 August 2026.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this edition of SNAICC in the News contains the name of Kumanjayi Little Baby, who has died, and links to coverage that may contain her image.

Continued Coverage of Our Submission to the Racism Inquiry

Our evidence to the parliamentary inquiry into racism, hate and violence carried into print this week, with SNAICC’s calls for accountability reported on by Dechlan Brennan in the West Australian and in Style Up. Our submission was also covered by First Nations News.

Brennan’s article ran in the West Australian as Racism probe shows failings. Asked whether racism was driving the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in care, SNAICC CEO Catherine Liddle said:

“At every stage of a decision-making tree, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are treated differently.”

She went on:

“Without an understanding of what systemic racism is, we’ll never be able to solve that problem.”

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are around seven per cent of Australia’s child population. They are 60 per cent of the children governments hold in youth detention and 45 per cent of the children governments place in out-of-home care.

Liddle told the inquiry that governments are investing in the wrong places and moving too slowly to hold mainstream organisations to account:

“Cultural competence should not be optional. It must be mandated, part of the way staff are trained, part of the way services operate.”

The committee will report on 15 September. We are calling for a final report that delivers accountability governments can be held to.

Read our submission to the Parliamentary Inquiry into Racism, Hate and Violence.

Read our media release: Our children pay the price of racism online.

Koori Mail Carries Kumanjayi Little Baby’s Farewell

The 26 August edition of the Koori Mail carried AAP’s coverage of the funeral of Kumanjayi Little Baby, bringing the story of her family and community farewelling a much-loved five-year-old girl to readers across the country.

Hundreds of mourners gathered on the edge of Mparntwe/Alice Springs, many of them wearing pink, her favourite colour.

The report also carried our call for an assessment of where the child protection system failed her. Speaking to AAP in the Koori Mail coverage, SNAICC CEO Catherine Liddle said:

“We need to really examine how a violent perpetrator was in an environment where children are vulnerable.”

Liddle said protecting children also means investing in housing and early childhood supports, so that families have what they need long before crisis.

Responsibility for what happened does not sit with Kumanjayi Little Baby’s family.

Learn more about the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle.

SNAICC Youth Voice on The Point: Why Listening Makes a Difference

NITV’s The Point replayed Gone Too Soon this week, an episode from last season that first went to air on 30 September 2025. The panel discussion on the social and emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people featured SNAICC Youth Voice Manager Joel Matysek.

Closing the Gap starts with our children and families. We advocate for change to the systems that make decisions about our children, for a strong Aboriginal community-controlled sector, and for families to be supported long before crisis. Listening to young people is part of that.

Speaking on The Point at the time, Matysek reflected on how the Youth Voice initiative can help:

“We’re trying to centre the voices of young people, particularly in that child protection space that we’re kind of working in. But how do we amplify those voices?”

The engagement behind Youth Voice produced the Youth Voice Engagement Report, developed with more than 150 young people and 45 Aboriginal community-controlled organisations (ACCOs) across remote, regional and urban Australia.

Listening to mob makes a difference. Youth Voice is one of the ways we aim to empower young mob to speak up.