Wiyi Yani U Thangani in Queensland
The Australian Human Rights Commission and the National Indigenous Australians Agency has partnered on a national conversation to elevate the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and girls.
Led by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner June Oscar AO, Wiyi Yani U Thangani (Women's Voices) is a multi-year initiative set out to capture what Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and girls consider to be their strengths, challenges and aspirations for change.
Throughout 2018, the Commissioner and her team travelled to 50 locations in urban, regional and remote areas across every Australian state and territory. They conducted 106 engagements and met with 2,294 women of all ages. Over 100 submissions and 300 survey responses were also received.
Informed by the findings from engagements and submissions, the Wiyi Yani U Thangani (Women’s Voices) report 2020 (the report) was prepared and published in December 2020. The report is an extensive, whole-of-life reflection of the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and girls, the principles they think ought to be enshrined in the design of policies and programs, and the measures they recommend ought to be taken to effectively promote the enjoyment of their human rights into the future.
The Queensland Government is a proud supporter of the Australian Human Rights Commission’s report, which sets out the collective rights, needs and aspirations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and girls across Australia.
As the report states, First Nations women and girls are strong, brave, determined and resilient and have remarkable skills, knowledge and boundless potential. The structural inequalities, poverty, trauma and discrimination that First Nations women and girls live with in Australia today are unacceptable and must be addressed and overcome.
The report outlines an ambitious and necessary First Nations female-led plan for structural change. The Queensland Government is supportive of the report’s principles and pathways forward. The report also aligns with the principles of the Statement of Commitment to reframe the relationship between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and the Queensland Government.
On 5 October 2022, the Queensland Government signed a formal Statement of support.
Visit the Wiyi Yani U Thangani website for more information.
You can also show your support and join the growing National Network for Action by completing the 3 easy steps outlined in the Supporter toolkit.