Wearing T-shirts emblazoned with the faces of lost loved ones, relatives of Indigenous women and children killed in tragic of circumstances waited anxiously in Perth on Thursday to tell their stories.
Warning: This story contains images and names of Indigenous people who have died.
Public hearings for a Senate inquiry into missing and murdered First Nations women and children in Australia are being held at the Rivervale Community Centre.
Alison Bairnsfather-Scott, whose sister Jessica was murdered by her husband in 2019, was among those waiting for their turn to speak.
"These things are never easy," Ms Bairnsfather-Scott said.
"It always brings up lots of emotions and tears.
"Yeah, these days are hard, but it's also incredibly important as well."
The inquiry will examine how the deaths of First Nations women and children have been investigated, now and in the past, compared to non-First Nations women and children.
It will also investigate the systemic causes of violence against First Nations women and children, such as underlying social, economic, cultural and institutional causes.
First Nations women are murdered at a rate of up to 12 times the national average in Australia.
Ms Bairnsfather-Scott has worked in Aboriginal services and government departments for 25 years, and was working for the WA Ombudsman's office investigating family and domestic violence deaths when Jessica was killed.
She suspected distrust of the system was part of the reason her sister, who had been a social worker in the field of family and domestic violence herself, did not seek help before she was killed.
"The services aren't built for us," she said.
"My sister was aware of the services available, she was aware of what family and domestic violence is.
"She'd seen it in my relationships and helped me escape that, yet she didn't ask for help.
"I think part of that is about the fact that she knew that they would not understand, that they would not meet her needs."
Ms Bairnsfather-Scott said more education was needed in the community and support services about what domestic violence is, and that the lesser treatment of First Nations women could deter them from seeking help.
She hoped the inquiry would lead to change, but also an acknowledgement of the experiences of First Nations women and children in Australia.
"This does feel different because it is taking all of our experiences, which are often just ignored and downplayed as 'it's not racism'," Ms Bairnsfather-Scott said.
'I just hope they listen'
Tamica Mullaley travelled to Perth from Broome to speak to the senators and call for a coronial inquest into the death of her 10-month-old son Charlie Mullaley in 2013.
Charlie was abducted by Ms Mullaley's then-partner Mervyn Bell while she was in hospital receiving treatment for injuries from a vicious attack by the same man.
Earlier in the night, when police were called to assist Ms Mullaley after the beating by Mr Bell, they charged her with assaulting a police officer.
Ms Mullaley received an apology and pardon from the WA government last year for what Attorney-General John Quigley said was a "clearly deficient" police response.
"Tamica was not treated by police at the scene as a victim of domestic violence," Mr Quigley said last year.
Baby Charlie was tortured and killed by Mr Bell in the 15 hours following the initial incident.
Ms Mullaley said there were so many changes that needed to happen that it was almost too overwhelming to articulate.
"I just hope that they listen," she said.
"That's the main thing — change — and that they listen to myself and all the other ladies and families that have come today."
She said she felt honoured to have been invited to speak, and that people still acknowledged and remembered her son.
Another major goal for the committee will be to identify the number of missing and murdered First Nations women and children.
With no national database tracking this information, and inconsistencies between data collection in different states and territories, the true number of deaths and disappearances is unknown.
Greens Senator Dorinda Cox raised the motion for the parliamentary inquiry in 2021.
Senator Cox is a Yamatji-Noongar woman and member of the Senate committee.
She said it had been traumatic to hear families recount their experiences of losing loved ones.
"I think I've spent most of the morning crying," she said.
"Because this is an outpouring of expression that we feel in our communities when somebody is taken or when they are missing or stolen from our communities.
"And that expression is felt not just by one of us, but all of us."
Asked how confident she felt that the inquiry could lead to significant change, Senator Cox said she did not want to pre-empt any recommendations.
But she said the committee would represent the families' stories in a way that pushed for change through strong recommendations.
"Within our remit it is to make those recommendations, it is to encourage, to advocate very strongly with the government to make those changes," Senator Cox said.
"And I think in the year of the Voice to Parliament this is a really important time for us as First Nations people in this country to see significant change."
Women fall victim to 'indifference and neglect'
Hannah McGlade, a member of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, said there had been indifference and neglect on the part of governments when it came to preventing violence, providing support to victims and ensuring justice and accountability.
Dr McGlade, a Noongar woman, hoped the inquiry and the committee could shine a light on violence and suffering experienced by Indigenous women and girls in Australia.
"They should not turn away from the reality of inequality, discrimination, racism, sexism, poverty and trauma surrounding the lives of Aboriginal women and girls," she said.
"The violence is very real and we need greater investment and resourcing, policy and planning, and accountability from governments."
She said she had urged Australian officials to work with the US, Canada and Mexico, who were working together to address murdered Indigenous women and girls, but that was yet to occur.
