Indigenous advocate Natalie Brown has been appointed as the Chair of the Our Booris, Our Way Implementation Oversight Committee.
Ms Brown, a Gamilaraay woman, has lived and worked on Ngunnawal country for the past 20 years, and is an advocate for systemic reform to address the overrepresentation of Aboriginal families in statutory out of home care.
The Our Booris, Our Way review (2017) was a systemic review into the child protection system that aimed to better understand how the ACT Government and the community can reduce the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in care. The Oversight Committee was established in 2020 to monitor the implementation of the report’s recommendations and to guide the systemic reform necessary.
“I look forward to continuing the critical work of the Our Booris, Our Way Implementation Oversight Committee and working closely with community as well as the ACT Government to implement the recommendations,” Ms Brown said.
“Real change can only be realised through strong collaboration, transparency, and accountability,” Rachel Stephen-Smith, ACT Minister for Families and Community Services, said. “Ms Brown has been key in steering the Our Booris, Our Way process and has a strong commitment to ensuring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are supported, connected to their community, culture, and country.”
Ms Brown succeeds Barbara Causon, Chairperson during the Our Booris, Our Way review and then Implementation Oversight Committee Chairperson. Ms Causon has been appointed as the new Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People Advocate, a role that is a direct result of the Our Booris, Our Way recommendations.
- Bill to recruit Aboriginal child commissioner passes Assembly (29 November)
- New Commissioner for Indigenous children in the ACT (21 September)
- Commissioner for ACT’s indigenous children (4 August)
In line with the principles of self-determination, the Our Booris, Our Way Implementation Oversight Committee recently elected Waanyi Kalkadoon woman Charmaine Barratt to the committee position recently vacated by Dr. Caroline Hughes. Ms Barratt’s first meeting will be on 5 December.
