All Australian women's safety should be targeted The Government must fund legal aid for Indigenous Australians affected by violence, writes Mark Woods.
W ith the Prime Minister's recent declaration that violence against women is a national disgrace, we hope we witnessed the shifting of the nation's cultural tectonic plates. There was a recognition of the gendered nature of family violence and we hope a commitment to ensure the voices of victim/survivors no longer go unheard and their need to access essential front-line services no longer goes unmet. In particular, we hope the systemic obstacles that silence Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander victim/ survivors are finally overcome.
Family violence disproportionately affects Indigenous Australians and has devastating impacts. 
The statistics are alarming: Indigenous women are 34 times more likely to be admitted to hospital as a result of family violence and almost 11 times more likely to be killed as a result of violent assault.
This requires urgent and targeted redress.
Further compounding the problem are difficulties in accessing legal assistance in many areas. In 2013-14, a survey of 1700 Aboriginal women indicated that almost half (46 per cent) had experienced family violence-related legal issues in the previous 12 months but 53 per cent of those women had received no legal assistance on the issue.
Addressing these barriers should be a priority for any government serious about family violence.
It is remarkable, therefore, that the government's recently announced $100 million Women's Safety package did not include dedicated funding for vital front- line legal aid for Indigenous Australian victims of family violence.
Aboriginal Family Violence Prevention and Legal Service provides specialist and culturally safe front- line legal and non-legal support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander victim/survivors of family violence. Evidence demonstrates that these services play an essential role in overcoming the barriers that prevent Indigenous women and children from accessing family violence-related legal aid.
These legal services also provide critical frontline assistance in response to family violence.
The legal aid sector, namely the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-specific legal services, Community Legal Centres and Legal Aid Commissions, works collaboratively to address domestic and family violence and the need for a strategic approach to ensure the entire sector is funded appropriately to address this issue.
Unfortunately, the package also failed to include targeted measures for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander victim/survivors in urban areas. The Aboriginal Family Violence Prevention and Legal Service focuses on some regional and remote areas, but it is not funded to have national coverage and many victim/survivors cannot access its unique service model.
Last year, the Productivity Commission found that such specialised legal services are essential, that service gaps exist and these service gaps have severe consequences.It was disappointing that the government's extra $15 million investment to improve women's access to legal services did not include these services, which are supporting the most legally marginalised and vulnerable of Australians.
This is a missed opportunity.
There is no doubt that addressing family violence is a complex multifaceted issue; one single policy response will not provide a silver bullet. However, the best place to start is to build the capacity of what we know works and support existing infrastructure addressing the most urgent need.
The Turnbull government must seize the initiative.
The legal aid sector firmly believes that, where possible, community-controlled culturally safe organisations such as Aboriginal Family Violence Prevention and Legal Service, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service are the preferred providers of legal assistance to Indigenous Australians.
Mark Woods is the chairman of the Australian Legal Assistance Forum, which represents the country's publicly funded legal aid services.