As I drove with the team from Broome to Fitzroy Crossing, I was taken by the magnificent landscape of red dusty dirt, beautiful rock formations coupled with the odd roaming cow or horse. For those of you who haven’t had the opportunity to see this part of the world, Fitzroy Crossing is the town at the heart of the Fitzroy Valley in Western Australia’s Kimberley region. The Valley has a total population of around 4000, with around 1500 living in the town of Fitzroy. The area has a significant Indigenous population, with four main Aboriginal language groups converging at the crossing.

On the night we arrived, we met up with the management committee of the Marninwarntikura Women’s Resource Centre. The committee is made up of women who volunteer from the community to oversee the strategic direction of the centre. We heard about some of the great programs run from the centre including a mobile play group which rotates around the 45 surrounding communities, providing mums and kids with educational and social activities.

The Centre also provides services for local women including counselling, legal services and social activities. The annual women’s bush camp is also organized by the Centre, where women come together from the various communities to discuss their issues and make plans for change. At last year’s camp, the women decided on three objectives – to lobby for a 12 month moratorium on the sale of alcohol, to advocate for services for men and boys, and a better relationship with Police.

Last year, a ban was put in place to restrict the sale of full strength take away alcohol. The Women’s Centre fought for this change as a measure to address the violence and associated health and social problems linked to alcohol abuse. I was shocked to hear that some estimates suggest that 30% of babies are born with fetal alcohol syndrome. Since the ban, police reports show that domestic violence reports have decreased by 43% and school attendance and engagement has risen. Some of the senior women in the community told me that, since the ban, they have been able to sleep peacefully through the night without fearing for their own safety or that of their family. Police estimate that call outs for alcohol fuelled violent incidents have decreased by 55% since the ban. I was so inspired by the collective determination of the women to ensure that every woman in the community has the right to live without the fear of violence.

Over the next two days we had meetings with service providers, a community BBQ and visits out to remote communities. I heard the consistent themes of alcohol related violence, the scarcity of housing, problems with transport and the accessibility of services, health problems associated with alcohol and poor nutrition, lack of services for men and boys, and the shortage of appropriate education and employment opportunities. I was impressed by Nindilingarri Cultural Health Services, with its focus on culturally appropriate preventative health promotion. The Health Service has installed a music studio as part of a spiritual health promotion program to encourage personal and cultural expression through music as a way to improve community health.

I want to thank June Oscar, Emily Carter and Michelle Kwikki from the Marninwarntikura Women’s Resource Centre for hosting our visit and for their warm hospitality. I am inspired and energised by their courage and determination. As our photos attest, we met many strong women and men from the diverse Fitzroy Valley, and I feel deeply privileged to have heard their stories as part of my Listening Tour.

Liz