Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price

This is what life in a community like Yuendumu looks like. This is my grandmother, my elder who attended my swearing-in of the 47th parliament of Australia, my grandmother that performed the Mala Jukurrpa ceremony to pass onto me her authority to speak in parliament, my grandfather’s sister and one of the last of her generation.

She has not been respected or acknowledged as an elder at Yuendumu she was instead recently violently attacked by a woman younger than her. Her head was split open, and she had to be transferred to the hospital. My cousin’s four-year-old son the great-grandchild of my grandmother has been threatened with violence by older children. They’ve threatened to stab him many times.

The self-appointed elders of Yuendumu who call for no more guns in the community don’t call for an end to this violence. Community lead violence is ignored and at times even encouraged.

Imagine a grandmother being violently attacked in front of you in the streets of Mossman, Surry Hills, Brunswick, Northcote, Westend or any other leafy green suburb. Imagine this was your grandmother or your four-year-old son.

The violence must stop and Australians across the country must demand better for grandmothers like mine who are out of sight and out of mind. It’s not good enough that vulnerable Australian women, children, and men suffer, because their suffering makes a hand full of people feel offended if it’s brought to their attention.

It’s not good enough to ignore the maimed and battered because privileged “First Nations” people feel uncomfortable about the reality of black-on-black violence. Grandstanding over hurt feelings ensures the violence continues.

The mainstream media remain complicit in ignoring this violence while pandering to the offended.

I want the violence to STOP! I want communities to be safer! This is EVERYONE’s responsibility!

If you want TRUTH TELLING then start telling the TRUTH!