Marnin News

Flood Response and Recovery in Fitzroy Crossing NEEDS ASSESSMENT

In the wake of the devastating January 2023 floods and their catastrophic impact on our remote community of #FitzroyCrossing, Marninwarntikura Women's Resource Centre, in collaboration with Royal Far West, invited UNICEF Australia to carry out a thorough and comprehensive assessment focused on the needs of our children.

The report, launched this week in Canberra, delivers critical insights into the flood's impact on children and their families, and it charts a clear path for our community to strengthen disaster resilience and response.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to Senator Malarndirri McCarthy, Minister for Indigenous Australians, for her powerful address, which highlighted the flood response and shared experiences from her own community in times of disaster.

The event united key decision-makers, sector leaders, and community representatives. The discussions emphasized the urgent need to prioritize the well-being of children and communities in disaster planning, policies, and investments.

Read the full report here: https://lnkd.in/ght7dRQp

Thank you, Minister Burney

Today we celebrate the remarkable career of Minister Linda Burney as she announces her retirement. A trailblazer and advocate for Indigenous rights, Linda's dedication to social justice and equality has inspired many. Her leadership and compassion have left an indelible mark on our community.

Thank you, Linda, for your unwavering commitment and tireless service. Wishing you joy and fulfillment in this next chapter of your journey. You will be deeply missed!

‘The more you tell a story, the stronger the story becomes’

Telling stories of strength

Our research is community-led and owned.

We’ve used group planning and research design, collaborative songwriting, song recording and reflective yarning to ensure our partners are determining the research process – and that we are creating music and knowledge collectively.

The participatory research approach mirrors the Sound FX process – embracing co-design, facilitation and collaboration while also tapping into current events and concerns.

These co-creation approaches not only produce new knowledge, but they also put community strengths and wisdom front and centre, making sure stories of strength are the stories that are shared and retold.

The Baya Gawiy songwriting project is showing all of us the many ways that the wellbeing benefits of music and songwriting not only strengthen the old stories, but also help new stories to be sung, told, and shared well beyond the kindergarten walls.

Read the full article HERE

You can find out more information about Tura’s Sound FX project on their website, along with a list of project sponsors.

First Nations Advocates Against Family Violence

Our most recent trip to Canberra proved to be a great opportunity to highlight the valuable work of our sector and share the challenges that our organisations face in delivering much-needed legal and holistic support to their communities.

With a packed agenda of meetings at Parliament House spread across two days, we met with many strong supporters and allies of the FVPLS sector and we’re committed to continuing to raise the profile of organisation and advocating for long-term, sustainable funding.

Hosted by the 'First Nations Advocates Against Family Violence' (a national forum, of which MWRC is a member), it was great to join our colleagues from across Australia to learn from their on-the-ground experiences.  So thanks for coming Central Australian Aboriginal Family Legal Unit, QLD Indigenous Family Violence Legal Service (QIFVLS), Aboriginal family Legal Services (AFLS), Aboriginal Family Legal Services QLD, Djirra VIC.

NAIDOC Week 2024

Women leaders call for JobSeeker boost to promote women’s safety

More than 200 women leaders including from business, unions, philanthropy, academia and the community sector (including MWRC CEO, Emily Carter AM) have written to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese urging him to provide economic security for women leaving violence by raising the rate of Jobseeker and Youth Allowance.

Read the excerpt below, or the full statement HERE

"Fixing the adequacy of JobSeeker and Youth Allowance to deliver basic economic security for women cannot wait.

For First Nations women, for women from diverse backgrounds, for women from all backgrounds, the impacts of poverty on the ability to leave violence and live in safety is profound.

No one should be forced to live in poverty. The evidence is clear: a key reason that women are unable to leave violence is because they do not have economic security.

The Escaping Violence Payment only provides an upfront cash payment of up to $1,500, with the remaining $3,500 provided by way of goods and services. To find safety, women need to know they will have basic economic security over the longer term.

Lifting social security payments will not negate the need to invest in frontline services and take the other critical steps to achieve women’s safety. However, it is a core part of ensuring women can do what they need to do in order to be safe." #RaiseTheRateForGood