Mothers whose children were removed by the state will tell their stories to the first royal commission hearing to examine the experiences of Indigenous people with disabilities in the child protection system.
The week-long hearing beginning in Brisbane on Monday will hear from 25 witnesses over five days, including several Indigenous people who have direct experience with child protection systems in various states.
Senior counsel assisting the commission Lincoln Crowley said he has repeatedly been told that people involved in the system are not getting the support they need, and neglect is occurring on a systematic basis.
In his opening address, Mr Crowley cited ABS figures that show 22 per cent of First Nations children have a disability, compared to eight per cent of the general population.
In adulthood, this increased to 48 per cent and 13 per cent respectively.
Mr Crowley said First Nations children were almost eight times as likely as non-Indigenous children to have received child protection services.
Commissioner Andrea Mason said the examination of violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation of First Nations parents with a disability and their interactions with the child protection systems had been largely invisible in past inquiries.
"This week, this changes," she said.
"We will hear stories of First Nations parents with a disability and their attributes of resilience, courage, persistence and about their love for their children."
Chair Ronald Sackville said that as of June 2019, 30,300 children in Australia were in long-term out-of-home care.
"Of these, over 40 per cent were First Nations children," he said.
Mr Sackville said reasons for the over-representation were complex, highlighting the legacy of past policies of forced removal and the intergenerational effects of previous separations.
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November 23, 2020 at 08:21AM
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Inquiry to hear from Indigenous mothers - Yahoo News Australia
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