On the 1 – 2 November 2023, over 100 women came together on Yawuru country for a two-day roundtable hosted by the Kimberley Aboriginal Women’s Council - including more than 80 Kimberley Aboriginal women.
Titled ‘Think Global – Act Local’, two-day roundtable centered around a series of workshops on topics such as women’s wellbeing and healing, mentoring, leadership, empowerment, and resilience, and laid foundations for a 2025 International Indigenous Women’s Conference to be held in the Kimberley.
Kimberley Aboriginal Women’s Council Chair, Janine Dureau, recipient of the 2023 Bill Armstrong AO Human Rights Award highlighted the Council’s commitment to investing, empowering, upskilling, and supporting Kimberley Aboriginal women and girls to lead.
“As Kimberley Aboriginal women, we demand a seat at the table. After two days of discussion and reflection, we are calling for a renewed commitment to systemic change. We demand reform and a new way forward,” said Ms Dureau.
“We have constructed a voice for women in the Kimberley that is truly representative, it is connected to our communities and families and children and brings our collective voices together. As Kimberley Aboriginal women, we know our communities and we hold the solutions. We are in the best position to self-govern.”
Through the roundtable, the Kimberley Aboriginal Women’s Council developed new foundations for ways of working within a two-way governance and collective impact approach, with a focus on creating opportunities for women’s local empowerment.
“We are investing in codesign, governance, research, and evaluation. The council will go forward continuing to consult with community women and organisations to improve system reform,” said Ms Dureau.
“We support women to plan and action. For thousands of years, we have supported our women to build, learn, collaborate, and lead. We are building the resources to support women and girls to dream as big as they like.”
The Kimberley Aboriginal Women’s Council is seeking genuine investment from those who are committed to self-determining partnerships and collaboration, and call on those who support their vision to build a new approach to community empowerment led by powerful 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.
For interviews, contact Janine Dureau on janine.dureau@kawc.org.au