First Nations people to tell their stories at next RC hearing

Posted 3 years ago by Emily Erickson
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Fees often equated to thousands of dollars being paid per year by residents for services that weren’t properly provided. [Source: Shutterstock]
Fees often equated to thousands of dollars being paid per year by residents for services that weren’t properly provided. [Source: Shutterstock]

First Nations people with disability and their families who have interacted with child protection systems will tell their stories at the next Disability Royal Commission public hearing.

Hearing 8, The experiences of First Nations people with disability and their families in contact with child protection systems’ will take place in Brisbane from 23 – 27 November.

Royal Commission Chair Ronald Sackville AO QC says this will be the first hearing that specifically examines the experiences of First Nations people with disability.

“We will look closely at the deeply complex interactions between prevalence of disability, abuse, the experience of trauma and the ongoing impacts of colonisation for First Nations people,” he says. 

Some of the topics the hearing will cover include:

  • whether First Nations parents with disability and their families are more likely to have contact with child protection systems because they are a First Nations person with disability

  • how child protection services interact with and respond to First Nations parents with disability in their practices and decisions

  • whether First Nations parents with disability are at greater risk of violence, abuse, neglect or exploitation during, or as a result of, contact with child protection systems.

The hearing will be closed to the public, but will be live-streamed on the Disability Royal Commission website.