Djirra welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the Inquiry into the relationship between domestic, family and sexual violence and suicide. This submission continues and strengthens our prior contributions to the Inquiry into Missing and Murdered First Nations women and children.
Suicide risk for Aboriginal women cannot be separated from family violence or the systemic racism shaping access to safety and care. Preventing suicide requires responses that address both the violence and the compounding impacts of systems that continue to fail Aboriginal women. This work requires structural reform, sustained investment in Djirra and specialist Family Violence Prevention and Legal Services (FVPLSs), and fundamental changes to system responses to Aboriginal women experiencing family violence.