From its inception as a day of mourning in 1938, to becoming a week-long event in 1975, NAIDOC Week has now become a celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander achievements and a national platform to call for greater reforms.

In true form, the QIFVLS offices across Queensland stepped up with community activities in the heart of their city and regional centres. Children and family were a common theme, with the offices hosting craft, stone, and rock painting events. Being seen and accessible in the community is an important and deliberate focus for our organisation, and one that the teams look forward to creatively planning and delivering regularly. These events also offer the opportunity to hand out giveaway bags which includes information on our free legal and non-legal services

The NPA Cultural Festival 2024 was a remarkable two-day event that truly showcased the vibrant traditions of the Northern Peninsula communities. Case Managers Karen Keane and Rita Gibuma were at the heart of the festivities, fully immersing themselves in the experience. The festival featured traditional dances, lively entertainment, and a variety of engaging activities, all celebrating the rich cultural heritage of the region.

Karen and Rita played a pivotal role in organizing a stall and creating gift bags for both kids and adults. They provided valuable information about our services to the community, helping to foster stronger relationships. Their efforts celebrated the unique stories and experiences that make our community so special. This festival was a wonderful opportunity to connect and yarn with the NPA community.

In partnership with the Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Foundation (QATSIF), the Barry Doyle School Based Scholarship has been formulated by QIFVLS to honour the memory and contribution that Barry made to its service over a period of 10 years.

The underpinning value is his life was supporting youth and keeping communities safe, so it is fitting that the aim of this scholarship is to address the financial barriers that youth find in wanting to complete schooling and transition to a working life and / or further study.

Education and awareness are the keys to reducing violence.

This Bursary is a 2 year Scholarship to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students commencing Year 11.

July was a busy month for policy work at QIFVLS, with Principal Legal Officer Thelma Schwartz and Senior Policy Officer Kulumba Kiyingi actively engaged in parliamentary submissions, parliamentary committee appearances, responding to requests for input and providing feedback on a range of matters.

The submissions launched by the QIFVLS policy team related to two parliamentary bills: the Child Safe Organisations Bill and the Criminal Justice (Sexual Violence and Other Matters) Amendment Bill.

The Child Safe Organisations Bill was introduced to establish a set of uniform child safety processes for Queensland organisations that engage with children and arose from the Royal Commission in Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. The Bill would enshrine national principles, which have a set of 10 child-safe standards, into Queensland legislation. The second part to the Bill included a commitment to a reportable conduct scheme for all organisations with a set process for reporting any incidents of harm or reportable conduct by an adult towards a child. The QIFVLS Policy Team’s submission focussed on ensuring that this legislation provided for cultural competency when dealing with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.

The second legislation that the Policy Team was engaged with in July was the Criminal Justice (Sexual Violence and Other Matters) Amendment Bill, which represented the third tranche of the Women’s Safety Justice Task Force recommendations (and which PLO Thelma Schwartz was integral to drafting).

Senior Policy Officer Kulumba Kiyingi commented: ‘Our submissions to this Bill really focussed on supporting some of the measures around victim-survivors being able to give evidence in court. This would include a victim-survivor would not have to be present in court, facing the person who perpetrated the harm upon them. The Bill proposes that a victim-survivor can appear in an alternative room, and we support that. But we also think there should be moves to ensure that there are some cultural safety measures in place, depending on who the victim survivor is, and their cultural background’.

‘We also believe that there needs to be an equitable rollout of technology. Part of what would happen with giving alternative evidence is that it’s reliant on having the appropriate technology consistently available across all Queensland courts. And we know that just from what some of our lawyers have seen in more remote communities, that it’s not always the case’.

Later in July, Thelma and Kulumba were called to appear at public hearings on both Bills, where in addition to questions about their written submissions, the Policy Team were questioned about funding, other provisions in the Bill for expert evidence and culturally safe supports for victim-survivors and the added cultural nuances that the court needs to be aware of when dealing with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women

In late July, QIFVLS launched a community communications campaign entitled NO2DV. This campaign is designed to add our voice to the growing chorus of community members across Queensland who are demanding an end to family and domestic violence, and to sexual assault.

The NO2DV campaign is designed to leverage people-power through Campaign Ambassadors in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across the state. QIFVLS will provide these Ambassadors with a range of merchandise and social media content to share within their communities and to keep the conversations going.

The campaign has started with the launch of a website no2dv.com.au, designed to build an Ambassador base in the first stages of the campaign. The community will be made aware and directed to the site via a carefully targeted social media campaign (including with the video we shot with the Cairns and Head Office teams a little while ago), through advertising on Indigenous radio and via First Nations publications such as the National Indigenous Times.

Check out the website at no2dv.com.au or email QIFVLS’ Communications Officer Andrew Keable for more information and to become involved.

OCM. Dee, thanks for sharing a little about yourself with OCM. Tell us about where you were born and bred?

Dee. I was actually born in Dampier in Western Australia and grew up in Karratha in the Pilbara region of WA where there’s a lot of big industry – oil and gas, iron ore, salt. That’s Ngarlumba and Yinjibarndi country but my background is here in Queensland – mum and dad are Queenslanders. My dad’s Torres Strait/ Aboriginal from the Cape, and mum’s a South Sea Islander and a Murray Islander.

I’m the oldest of two. My sister and I grew up in Karratha because dad ended up over there – as did a lot of Islanders back in the day, working on the railways and the building sites. It was hard work. I think the boys that are working over there now have it kind easy with all the machinery they’ve got.

OCM. What period are we talking about?

Dee. Probably from the early to mid the 60’s. He was there for a good 30 years before we moved back and settled in Mackay where I was the carer for my family while I also worked as a teacher’s aide and later with Centrecare – creating care packages for the elderly living at home. Unfortunately, while I was in MacKay I was involved in a car accident that left me with a lot of ongoing pain, so I decided to move up to dad’s country on Mua Island and stayed, in St Paul’s, for five or six years, going back to my teacher’s aide work.

OCM. Do you think the caring part of your nature draws you to those sorts of roles, and being able to give to others?

Dee. Yes definitely, and I think that’s both a positive and a negative. I’ve often been told that I can’t save the world. I was actually really interested in sociology growing up, and how and why people behave the way they do. Even now, I think I’d love to go back and study that.

While I was in St Paul’s I also started work for the council in their admin area, then in an executive support role, and eventually as Deputy CEO of the local council, but by then I was ready for a change.

So I ended up in Canberra of all places – going from the frying pan into the freezer. It was crazy – the coldest I’ve been. At one point a colleague gave me an electric blanket and to begin with I had no idea how to use it!

I actually came to love Canberra. I was quite surprised that there are a lot of Torres Strait islanders there, so they were a great second family. I was working for the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs as a Project Officer. There was a department there that ran an Indigenous leadership program within remote parts in Australia, delivering programs that would benefit the community. So, I did that for a few years.

Then, from there, I moved over to the Department of Education, Employment Workplace Relations as a Policy Officer with Work For The Dole, and then I got itchy feet again and decided to move back to WA.

OCM. Wow, you’re not afraid to make big changes in your life.

Dee. Yeah, I went back to Karratha in 2008 or 2009 and got a job there as a process technician at an onshore gas processing plant with Woodside Energy.

OCM. That’s so different Dee, what did that entail?

Dee. Well basically you study a specific area of the plant for three or four years, and become an expert in a particular field. I looked after the services and utilities area of the gas plant, which was basically everything that you need to run the plant: nitrogen, distilled water and power.

OCM. And how did you feel like you fitted into that environment?

Dee. I enjoyed it, but I did feel out of place at times – because I’m female, and also an indigenous female as well. When I started there were only two other Indigenous women but there’s a lot more First Nations women on the site now.

Mostly the blokes there were pretty good. It probably took them some time to get used to us and at first they were guarded and a bit stand-offish.

So I was there for about ten years, living on site at Karratha and then doing FIFO out of Perth but towards the end the company culture started to change and it was becoming more dog-eat-dog and all about the money, and guys just talking about their expensive toys. I’m not like that at all, so that’s why I ended up feeling a bit like a lone wolf.

Plus, mum’s health was getting progressively worse, so I decided to buy a house in Cairns and come up here. Dad also wanted to retire so once I was settled I kind of ended up just caring for them both full time for a couple of years before I joined QIFVLS.

OCM. You seem to enjoy your work.

Dee. I love it. When I first started, I didn’t know that it was more than a just a legal service. We work with a whole lot of other agencies and refer clients to all the different support services.

OCM. Between looking after your parents and working, how do you relax?

Dee. I like arts and crafts, and I love reading although I haven’t had that much time to do that lately. I do love a good autobiography. Also fishing and camping, although I’ve been here about five years and haven’t really started exploring the Cairns region.

OCM. Well, you’ve got a lot to see still! Thanks so much for your time Dee.

When an individual or organisation makes a tax deductible donation to QIFVLS, they can be confident that their funds are going towards making a tangible difference to the safety and welfare of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experiencing or at risk of domestic and family violence.

Our team are grateful for all donations that help our not-for-profit organisation to continue offering this critical service. Donations of $1,000 or more help fund outreach services to some of Queensland’s most remote ATSI communities.

Are you in search of a rewarding profession that will take you on journeys through the breathtaking landscapes of Queensland? One that promises not only career advancement and skill enhancement, but also attractive perks, substantial travel allowances, and one-of-a-kind professional adventures? Are you drawn to a career that enables you to make a positive difference in the lives of others?

Look no further – your new career awaits you! At QIFVLS, we are dedicated to combating Family and Domestic Violence within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities. Our methods encompass education, advocacy, legal reform, court support, and casework assistance. By focusing on early intervention and prevention, our aim is to empower individuals impacted by Family Violence to regain control over their lives. We are in search of outstanding and dynamic individuals who can join us in achieving this mission.

If you envision yourself fitting into this scenario, we encourage you to see what’s available here.

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