Law reform win: National review of policing

Campaign win!

For 2 years Karen Iles and the Violet Co Legal & Consulting Team has been calling for our governments to create a set of National principles for police investigations into very serious crimes of sexual assault, DFSV and murder. Yesterday - we had movement and a win! The Inquiry into Missing and Murdered First Nations Women and Children has recommended just this - review of policing and the harmonisation of best policing practice across the Country.

You can read the report from the Inquiry. Is it perfect? No. Does it hit every point we have been calling for? No. Will it stop, or even deter, the small number of horror story non-Indigenous men abducting, (often) sexually assaulting, and murdering First Nations women and children who they know our Police usually don’t bother to investigate? Absolutely not.

Is it a step in the right direction? Yes. Does it contribute to truth telling in this Country? Yes. A dedicated Victim/Survivors Advocate on this issue within the DFSV Commissioners office is a good thing. More funding for First Nations services is a good thing.

For Karen - it’s time for a rest and reset.

For the better half of each week - through this campaign - for the past 2 years - Karen has run the Make Police Investigate campaign. She has been pounding the pavement, joined by our clients, Aboriginal Community members, victim/survivors and other lawyers. Karen has had over 300 meetings with politicians and decision makers in multiple states, about 100 media interviews (many very intrusive and sensationalist / voyeuristic into her personal circumstances - for the “cause”!), spoken at dozens of conferences and events, podcasts, run a petition, “outed herself” as a victim/survivor at immense personal and professional cost, been appointed to Advisory Committees, written articles, volunteered for Community organisations and campaigns, represented dozens of victim/survivors pro bono and countless zoom calls! All while running Violet Co.

It’s been massive. Thank you to those who donated to the “go fund me” campaign - we raised about $10K to help run the campaign - and to the Snow Foundation and Sydney Community Foundation who have backed this work.

Through this campaign Make Police Investigate - we have been highlighting the similarities in the experiences of First Nations women, children and families (Murdered & Missing Inquiry), children who experience sexual assault, LGBTQI community members murdered in gay hate crimes, and women experiencing domestic family and sexual assault.

There’s a common thread - bias in police that lead to dismissive attitudes, turning victim/survivors away, dissuading them from reporting, when they do report - ignoring those reports and failing to investigate at all, or if they do to the most inadequate standard.

Now the work shifts - focusing on working to support government, and police, with the job of police reviewing themselves (not perfect!) and coming up with a set of National Principles for Police conduct.

You’ll be seeing Karen still at it - hitting the halls of government House next week.

We are looking forward to continuing our core business at Violet Co Legal & Consulting representing clients in workplace and employment law matters, helping clients design workplaces that are inclusive and equitable for all genders and First Nations people, running mediations and workplace investigations, and helping clients to be innovative with their business strategy, risk and operational plans.

Thank you to the Violet Co Community for all of your support. There is still work to do - and be sure to look out for our next campaign update.

PS - For those particularly interested in the exact wording of the Inquiry’s report recommendation on policing:

Recommendation 2

7.34 The committee recommends that the Attorney-General tasks the Police Ministers Council to review existing police practices in each jurisdiction, consider the learnings from each jurisdiction and aim to implement and harmonise best police practices across Australia by no later than 31 December 2025, with the goal of ensuring all interactions with First Nations people are consistent and of a high standard, including standards of cultural awareness and safety. In performing this role, the committee recommends that the following practices and procedures be considered:

• ongoing and mandatory cultural awareness training for all employees (that is, both sworn and civilian members);

• training courses developed and led by First Nations people, including components on lived experience, trauma-informed practice and effective communication;

• recruitment, support and promotion of First Nations people, including to senior management positions; and

• appropriate guidelines for the review of past cases involving disappeared and murdered First Nations women and children where families are seeking review. These should be replicated through the justice system as recommended by the NSW State Coroner in the inquest into the death of Mona Lisa Smith and Jacinta Rose Smith (referred to in this report).