In December 2017, I launched the multiyear Wiyi Yani U Thangani (Women’sVoices) project. The occasion was marked, and the project officially givenlife, through the dance of a group of First Nations girls and young women fromRedfern.

The young dancers reignited ourpowerful matriarchal lineage within their movements, across their painted skin,and in the confidence and excitement they showed in expressing our culture.They reminded us that it is our young ones who are the next holders of ourknowledges, and that when they are invested in, they can dance and sing avibrant and healthy future into being. We all carry the visions of ourancestors and the dreams of our children. We all have a responsibility to acttoday and make real a healthier, more just, inclusive and equitable nation.

This group of young dancerscontinues to represent, for me, the purpose of Wiyi Yani U Thangani—to elevatethe voices, strengths and knowledges of First Nations women and girls, knowingthat we hold the solutions to drive transformative positive change.

The landmark Wiyi Yani UThangani (Women’s Voices): Securing Our Rights, Securing Our Future Report (theReport), released in December 2020, documents this truth. It conclusively showshow—despite our women’s absences from the arenas of decision-making due toongoing structural marginalisation and discrimination—they are present acrossall of life. Capturing over 2,000 women and girls’ voices from right acrossAustralia, the Report brings a well overdue First Nations gender-lens to issuesfrom housing to education and economic participation. It describes how FirstNations women carry knowledge about sustaining existence, are doing thebackbone work of society—caring for children, family and Country—and are at theforefront of driving economic and social change.

The Report with its blueprintfor structural change comes right when it is needed. Australia and many nationsare reckoning with systemic racism and sexism and the far-ranging genderinequalities that perpetuate harm against women and children. This is abusethat First Nations women and girls have been the most impacted by forcenturies. There is growing recognition that First Nations women and girls holdthe solutions to overcome this abuse, and advance societal health andwellbeing. Momentum is building as people add their voices and take action inpursing First Nations gender justice and equality in Australia, for the benefitof everyone.