Dorinda Cox (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

by leave—I move:

That the following matter be referred to the Legal and Constitutional Affairs References Committee for inquiry and report by 30 June 2022:

Missing and murdered First Nations women and children, with particular reference to:

a) The number of First Nations women and children who are missing and murdered;

b) The current and historical practices, including resources, to investigating the deaths and missing person reports of First Nations women and children in each jurisdiction compared to non-First Nations women and children;

c) The institutional legislation, policies and practices implemented in response to all forms of violence experienced by First Nations women and children;

d) The systemic causes of all forms of violence—including sexual violence—against First Nations women and children, including underlying social, economic, cultural, institutional and historical causes contributing to the ongoing violence and particular vulnerabilities of First Nations women and children;

e) The policies, practices and support services that have been effective in reducing violence and increasing safety of First Nations women and children, including self-determined strategies and initiatives;

f) The identification of concrete and effective actions that can be taken to remove systemic causes of violence and to increase the safety of First Nations women and children;

g) The ways in which missing and murdered First Nations women and children and their families can be honoured and commemorated; and

h) Any other related matters.

Today I have moved a motion about the UN International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. This important motion is history-making, because on this day in this place we have the opportunity to refer to the committee an important issue for First Nation women and children who have been missing and murdered. This issue has continued for generations—generations of families and communities that have been affected. Just this morning we heard my colleague Senator Thorpe talk about the personal connections that we have to women who have been murdered in our families.

In the media there has been lots of controversy— (Time expired)

Question agreed to.