Our Story

For years the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled sector has been advocating for increased funding, coordination and support for community-led approaches to addressing family, domestic and sexual violence.

In 2023, following sustained advocacy from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Council on Family, Domestic and Sexual Violence, the Australian Government acted on these calls and included the establishment of a Peak Body as a key action in the dedicated Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Action Plan 2023–2025 under the National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children 2021-2031.

In May 2025, the Department of Social Services engaged the Coalition of Peaks Secretariat, on behalf of the sector, to lead the establishment of the Peak Body, building on decades of advocacy by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, the expertise of community-controlled organisations and the strong foundation of existing peak bodies.

The establishment of the Peak Body was overseen by an Establishment Steering Committee, which provided guidance, reviewed key decisions, and supported the development of governance and operational frameworks for the Peak.

The Peak Body’s functions, priorities and operating model were shaped by input from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled sector. This engagement built on what the sector has said before in other national consultation processes. Engagement included:

8 community controlled sector-specific workshops across health, legal and justice, specialist services (including services for men), child and family services and peak bodies
3 online national workshops open to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled organisations, and
A national online survey which was open to everyone and gathered valuable insights from victim-survivors, community members, front-line workers, and researchers.

A summary of the engagement findings can be found here.

Our Ways Strong Together is the result of these combined efforts — a tangible expression of the shared vision, expertise, and advocacy of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled sector.

Our story is one of persistence, strength, and unity. It reflects generations of advocacy and the shared commitment of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled sector to create safer futures for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities.

Now, we move from advocacy to action – guided by community, accountable to our people, and committed to ending family, domestic and sexual violence in ways that honour culture, uphold dignity, and strengthens our communities for generations to come.

Our Ways Strong Together will bring together frontline community-controlled organisations to continue to build on the experience of those who have been leading this work for generations.

Instead of treating family, domestic and sexual violence as a standalone issue, Our Ways Strong Together will bring together ACCOs delivering specialist family, domestic and sexual violence services alongside Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peak bodies and ACCOs in health, education, child and family support, law, justice, alcohol and other drugs, housing and healing to work together to strengthen community responses and push for the funding, system and legal reform that will better serve our communities.

Our communities continue to endure and resist the ongoing impacts of colonial violence. We challenge the misconception that family, domestic, and sexual violence is inherent to our communities — it is not. family, domestic and sexual violence is often a gendered issue that affects all communities, and our cultures are not the cause. Effectively addressing violence requires truth-telling, a whole-of-society response and a deep connection to culture.

Vision

All Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples throughout Australia are culturally safe, strong and empowered, living free from violence.

Our Values & Ways of Working

Self determination and community control: Our members lead our priorities and guide our work
Cultural safety and empowerment: We are committed to creating spaces for truth telling without fear or compromise
Upholding cultural protocols: The authority of Elders and adherence to cultural protocols guide our decisions and practice, ensuring our work is grounded in the wisdom and leadership of our communities.
Intersectional inclusion: We reflect and respect the diverse experience and identities across our communities.
Healing through culture: We focus on healing through culture, strengthening connections and restoring protective systems to support the wellbeing of our people and communities.