First Nations women will gather this week in Broome on Yawuru country for a two-day roundtable hosted by the Kimberley Aboriginal Women’s Council.
The first since the Council was established in 2021, the roundtable, held from November 1st – 2nd, will centre around a series of workshops on topics such as women’s wellbeing and healing, mentoring, leadership, empowerment, and resilience and sustainability.
Titled ‘Think Global – Act Local’, the roundtable will explore opportunities for Kimberley Aboriginal women’s involvement in the global gender justice movement, with plans to be laid for a 2025 International Indigenous Women’s Conference held in the Kimberley.
Kimberley Aboriginal Women’s Council Chair, Janine Dureau, recipient of the 2023 Bill Armstrong AO Human Rights Award, highlights the significance of this gathering of Aboriginal and Torres Strait women in light of the referendum result earlier this month.
“No matter the outcome of the referendum, this is the path we were destined to travel. We have to carve out spaces for our women, our girls, and our families. Women’s voices must be centred in the decision-making process if we’re truly committed to closing the gap. The roundtable provides an opportunity to discuss and plan what system reform is from the unique perspective of Kimberley Aboriginal women.”
The Kimberley Aboriginal Women’s Council was established in 2021, and first convened to develop a community led regional action plan in response to the landmark Wiyi Yani U Thangani (Women’s Voices) report released by Torres Strait Islander Commissioner June Oscar in 2020. Commissioner Oscar will again be attending the roundtable as a special guest.
