Addressing the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women in Australia

To Attorney General, Mark Speakman, SC MP,

My name is Jo Lorenz of Sydney, NSW, Australia.

It is becoming increasingly recognized that continual colonisation, racism and systemic disadvantage are the root cause of the social, health and emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women in Australia and are directly connected to their over‐representation in Australian prisons.

This over-representation is an intersectional issue, as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women are concomitantly impacted by gender, race as well as other systemic inequalities. For example, the lack of access to legal resources for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women to operate through the legal system is founded upon both racial and gender disparities. Add to this the fact that sexual violence against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and mothers occurs at a much higher rate than male prisoners, and you can again see that these issues are both gendered and racial issues, which are intrinsically linked to colonial violence and the ensuing intergenerational trauma.

The over‐policing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women directly contributes to their higher rates of charging and imprisonment for minor offences compared to those same crimes by non‐Aboriginal women. While Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women in Australia make up less than 3 percent of the female population they account for approximately 33 percent of the female prison population, with the majority of these incarcerated women having children under the age of 18. When an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mother is separated from her child it greatly contributes to intergenerational trauma, marginalisation from essential services, inequality in health, child abuse, and an increased chance of the child personally ending up incarcerated. These issues are unique to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, their families and communities in Australia, based upon race, gender and the class dynamics created from our colonial past.

Addressing this huge systemic racism is vital to breaking this cycle of incarceration and in turn improving the overall health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and mothers in prison, and consequently their families and entire communities. As our Attorney General I plead with you to end this cultural and social dislocation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and mothers now. I plead with you to make urgent changes to bail legislation, give greater access to lawyers, implement programs for early intervention/alternatives to incarceration, and support to reduce re-offending.

The inequity in our Indigenous communities must be reformed. The cyclical poverty trap created by ongoing colonisation and stolen generations must be addressed now. We cannot continue to walk the murderous path of our colonial past and you, Mr Speakman, hold the power to enact real change. This power, this change, this reform cannot and must not be in isolation. Listen to the people who are protesting for Indigenous lives here in Australia — for Black Lives Matter across the global — and acknowledge that change and a revolution must happen now. It is with you, our public servant, committed to all Australians.

Yours Sincerely,

Jo Lorenz