Submissions open for Family Safety Plan & Connected Beginnings program expansion – SNAICC in the News

SNAICC in the News – Submissions open for Family Safety Plan & Connected Beginnings program expands to Yartapuulti/Port Adelaide

The week of 8 September 2024 includes coverage of the opening of public submissions for the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Family Safety Plan, the expansion of the Connected Beginnings program to Yartapuulti/Port Adelaide, treaty progress discussions and more on Northern Territory youth justice policies.

Public submissions are now open for the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Family Safety Plan. SNAICC, commissioned by the Australian Government, is leading the development of the Plan, which includes community engagement, drafting and secretariat support for the Steering Committee overseeing its creation. The engagement phase, Our Ways – Strong Ways – Our Voices, seeks input from communities, organisations and academics to ensure the Plan reflects true community needs and aspirations.

Aunty Muriel Bamblett, Steering Committee co-chair, stressed the importance of prioritising community voices to enhance safety for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and children. Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth highlighted that the submission process will allow contributions from victim-survivors to address gender-based violence in community. Minister for Indigenous Australians Malarndirri McCarthy emphasised that involving those with lived experience is crucial for meaningful change. Catherine Liddle, CEO of SNAICC, emphasised the importance of including a wide range of voices—those with lived experience, grassroots perspectives, organisations, and academics—to ensure the Plan effectively enhances safety for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and children.

SNAICC will produce a report summarising feedback from the consultation phase while preserving anonymity. Public submissions will play a key role in shaping the Plan’s priorities and solutions to combat family, domestic, and sexual violence. The public submissions process will remain open until 11.59 pm AEST on Friday, 25 October 2024. SNAICC has created a discussion paper to support the public submissions process. To share your views and experiences, you can upload a written or audio submission here.

This week, the Australian Government announced a $1.8 million expansion of the Connected Beginnings program, led by Kura Yerlo in Yartapuulti/Port Adelaide, South Australia. This funding will support around 350 local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families, connecting them with early childhood education, health, and family support services. Catherine Liddle praised the program’s community-led approach, which has increased attendance in centre-based care and provided integrated, culturally safe services. Kura Yerlo CEO Mary Anne Lovegrove expressed gratitude, noting the program’s role in building children’s confidence and readiness for school.

The Australian Indigenous Doctors Association has spoken out on the Northern Territory Government’s proposal to lower the age of criminal responsibility from 12 to 10 years. Joining several organisations, advocates, legal experts and human rights groups arguing that the plan will disproportionately impact Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, potentially perpetuating trauma rather than preventing crime. The Australian Indigenous Doctors Association argues that children aged 10 to 12 are developmentally vulnerable and should receive supportive interventions rather than incarceration, advocating for raising the age of criminal responsibility to 14 to align with international recommendations and reduce detention rates.

Regarding treaty discussions in Victoria and Australia, an ABC News article looked at recent developments with a focus on self-determination and the latest Closing the Gap data. According to the article, Victoria is advancing with truth-telling and treaty processes led by the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria and the Yoorrook Justice Commission, aiming to transfer decision-making power to Aboriginal communities and establish a Treaty Authority and self-determination fund. Catherine Liddle emphasised the need for genuine community-led solutions, with Victoria’s Minister for First Peoples, Natalie Hutchins, noting that delegating power and resources to Aboriginal organisations has led to significant improvements in Closing the Gap targets.

For complete coverage, read the news and media stories linked below.

Topic: Submissions open for Family Safety Plan

Public submissions have opened to inform development of the first National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Family Safety Plan.

SNAICC – National Voice for our Children has been commissioned by the Australian Government to lead the development of the first National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Family Safety Plan. SNAICC is responsible for community engagement, drafting the Plan, and providing secretariat support to the Steering Committee overseeing its creation. The engagement phase titled Our Ways – Strong Ways – Our Voices, highlights the importance of having input from across the country, from lived experience and the grass roots, as well as organisations and academics to ensure the Plan reflects community needs and aspirations.

Aunty Muriel Bamblett, co-chair of the Steering Committee, stressed that community voices and experiences are to be prioritised as the national plan progresses. Aunty Muriel said that the Family Safety Plan must reflect the real needs and aspirations of communities to effectively enhance safety for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and children. She expressed that all perspectives on the solutions, priorities and approaches have every opportunity to inform the national Plan, so it reflects the needs and aspirations of our communities.

Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth emphasised the importance of providing a platform for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and service providers to contribute to the Plan. She stated that the public submission process would allow people, particularly victim-survivors, to engage in a series of questions about key priorities, challenges, and solutions to address gender-based violence rates in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

Minister for Indigenous Australians Malarndirri McCarthy highlighted that ensuring the safety of First Nations women, children, and families is a critical priority for the Albanese Government. She emphasised the unacceptably high rates of family and domestic violence experienced by First Nations communities and the importance of involving people with lived experience, experts, and the community-controlled sector in the development of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Family Safety Plan. McCarthy stressed that these voices are key to driving meaningful change and ensuring practical outcomes.

Catherine Liddle, CEO of SNAICC, supported the need for the Plan to reflect the real needs and aspirations of our communities. She emphasised the importance of including a wide range of voices—those with lived experience, grassroots perspectives, organisations, and academics—to ensure the Plan effectively enhances safety for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and children.

SNAICC will produce a report summarising feedback from the consultation phase while preserving anonymity. Public submissions will play a key role in shaping the Plan’s priorities and solutions to combat family, domestic, and sexual violence. The public submissions will remain open for Family Safety Plan until 11.59 pm AEST on Friday, 25 October 2024. SNAICC has created a discussion paper to support the public submissions process. To share your views and experiences, you can upload a written or audio submission here.

For complete coverage, read our media release and news and media linked below.

Topic: Connected Beginnings program expands to Yartapuulti/Port Adelaide

The Australian Government announced this week the expansion of the Connected Beginnings program with Kura Yerlo to deliver the program in Yartapuulti/Port Adelaide on Kaurna Country in South Australia.

Minister for Early Childhood Education, Dr Anne Aly announced earlier this week that $1.8 million has been allocated for Kura Yerlo Incorporated to deliver the Connected Beginnings program in Yartapuulti/Port Adelaide. Kura Yerlo is an Aboriginal-owned and controlled community organisation that offers a variety of programs, including a Children’s Centre, Youth Programs, Aged and Disability Programs, Language and Culture Programs and Healing and Art Programs.

The funding will establish a new site in Yartapuulti/Port Adelaide, supporting around 350 local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and their families by connecting them with early childhood education, health and family support services to ensure a smooth transition to school. The new site joins 44 other Connected Beginnings locations across Australia, which collectively support over 21,000 children.

Catherine Liddle praised the Connected Beginnings program, noting that it empowers communities to tailor and implement the program according to their unique needs and goals, which fosters genuine progress. Catherine said that the community-led approach has significantly increased attendance in centre-based care by more than 10 per cent for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. She emphasised that the program means that children have access to integrated, culturally safe services—ranging from early childhood care to family support—providing them with a strong foundation for their educational journey.

Kura Yerlo CEO, Mary Anne Lovegrove, expressed gratitude for the funding, saying that the Connected Beginnings program builds children’s confidence and readiness for school while strengthening families and communities. She reaffirmed Kura Yerlo’s commitment to providing culturally safe and appropriate support for local families and community.

The Federal Government is investing $81.8 million to expand Connected Beginnings to 50 sites across the country, potentially supporting up to 20% of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children aged zero to five. The program aims to prepare Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children aged 0-5 for school by connecting them with early childhood health, education and family support services. Find out more about Connected Beginnings here.

For complete coverage, read the news and media linked below.

Topic: Australian Indigenous Doctors Association on NT criminal responsibility age

The Australian Indigenous Doctors Association has joined a number of organisations, advocates, legal experts and human rights groups in expressing concern about the Northern Territory Government’s plan to lower the criminal responsibility age from 12 to 10 years.  

The Northern Territory’s newly elected Chief Minister, Lia Finocchiaro, and her Country Liberal Party government, have proposed changes to lower the age of criminal responsibility to 10 years, reintroduce spit hoods and implement harsher bail laws. Royal Australasian College of Physicians, the Australian Medical Association NT, SNAICC and Amnesty International, among others, argue that these changes to youth justice policies will disproportionately affect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and could perpetuate cycles of trauma and violence rather than preventing crime.

The Australian Indigenous Doctors Association has strongly opposed the Northern Territory Government’s plan to lower the age of criminal responsibility to 10 years. They argue that children aged 10 to 12 are developmentally vulnerable and require supportive interventions rather than incarceration. The Australian Indigenous Doctors Association points out that imprisoning such young children exacerbates health issues, undermines their development and disproportionately impacts Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. The organisation says the move is a return to outdated, harmful practices and calls for raising the age of criminal responsibility to 14 years, aligning with international recommendations. According to the Australian Indigenous Doctors Association, in order to meet Closing the Gap target 11, which is to reduce the rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people (aged 10-17) in detention by at least 30 per cent by 2031, governments and organisations must listen to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and other health experts.

For more information, SNAICC in the News covered changes to youth justice policies in the Northern Territory last week.

For complete coverage, read the article linked below.

Topic: Self-determination and treaty

Earlier this week, an ABC News article covered recent developments in treaty discussions in Victoria and across Australia, with a focus on self-determination and Closing the Gap targets.

The latest Closing the Gap data shows only five out of 19 targets are on track, prompting calls for more transformative action. ABC reports that Victoria is progressing with truth-telling and treaty processes, with the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria playing a central role, working to transfer decision-making powers from the government to Aboriginal communities and establishing a Treaty Authority and a self-determination fund. The Yoorrook Justice Commission, a truth-telling inquiry led by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, is overseeing the treaty process.

Catherine Liddle has emphasised the need for genuine community-led solutions and voiced frustration over the lack of meaningful progress in government policies affecting our children. Catherine and others stress that true self-determination is essential for achieving better outcomes and closing the gap in socio-economic indicators. Victoria’s Minister for First Peoples, Natalie Hutchins, acknowledges successes from self-determination efforts, saying that where power and resources have been handed to Aboriginal organisations, some of the most extraordinary outcomes in Closing the Gap targets have been seen.

For complete coverage, see the news article linked below.