June Oscar AO is a proud Bunuba woman from the remote town of Fitzroy Crossing in Western Australia’s Kimberley region. She is a strong advocate for Indigenous Australian languages, social justice, women’s issues, and has worked tirelessly to reduce Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). June has held a raft of influential positions including Deputy Director of the Kimberley Land Council, chair of the Kimberley Language Resource Centre and the Kimberley Interpreting Service and Chief Investigator with WA’s Lililwan Project addressing FASD. The Wiyi Yani U Thangani (Women’s Voices) report builds on the legacy of the 1986 Women’s Business Report: the first time in Australian history that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women were consulted nationally. This was our mob talking to each other about our issues, hopes and aspirations, without the intervention and control of others.
The Federal Government announced $2.8 million funding for the Australian Human Rights Commission’s landmark Wiyi Yani U Thangani (Women’s Voices) project that will see it through to a national summit for First Nations women and girls, the first of its kind in Australia. The announcement came after Indigenous Affairs Minister Ken Wyatt and Minister for Women Marise Payne spoke at the launch of Yajilarra nhingi, mindija warrma (from dreams, let's make it reality), a new animated film which tells the story of First Nations women’s voices.
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