As a First Nations woman who has worked on the front lines for the safety of Aboriginal women and children for the past two decades, I have seen and heard it all.

Although I have dedicated my life to fighting for the rights of Aboriginal women and children, I have been silenced and marginalized. But like all other First Nations women, that has never deterred me.

I know so many women who have experienced the most extreme forms of abuse and violence and then find the courage to speak the truth and seek help, only to be rejected, ridiculed or disbelieved by the very people and systems that are supposed to protect our women.

And when a woman’s life is taken or she can no longer speak for herself, it is very often the families who suffer endless grief because they are ignored or asked to leave.

We are distrusted not only by the police, but also by child protection, the justice system and other systems we should trust. We also know that the system’s responses are too often punitive, racist and designed to silence us.

But I have also seen and continue to see the incredible strength, resilience and courage of Aboriginal women. We have always done the hard work because our lives depend on it.

22 years ago, I was instrumental in establishing Djirra, a specialist Aboriginal community-controlled organisation in Victoria, alongside a small group of Aboriginal women and men. Today we provide life-saving services including legal and practical support to Aboriginal women and children experiencing or at risk of domestic violence.

In the last financial year alone, Djirra submitted 21 detailed submissions to national and Victorian public inquiries and committees. The missing and murdered First Nations women and children The inquest was a long overdue and much-needed opportunity to find justice and drive change on behalf of so many people who have lost their families and communities.

This investigation was a defining moment. An opportunity for so many women and families to tell their stories, share their experiences and make their truth public on a national platform.

Djirra made practical, detailed recommendations for the comprehensive systems changes urgently needed to combat violence, racism and attacks on our people – especially by the police and the systems that are supposed to protect us.

We have supported courageous women and families across the country to open their hearts and confidently speak the truth, sharing deeply personal, heartbreaking stories and demanding the justice that is due for the women and children they love who have been murdered or brutally disappeared.

There are few words to describe the further trauma and pain the survivors and their families have endured as they retell their stories. They, and all of us, had hope that this investigation would be different and a step towards true safety for our women and children.

For a nonprofit like Djirra, lobbying is a huge investment, a cost that takes much-needed and already scarce time, people and resources away from the front lines. But lobbying is an essential investment if we are to create change and center the voices and experiences of our women.

We have worked for years to bear witness to what is happening “on the ground.” By showing the way forward and making First Nations women’s voices heard in the halls and committee rooms where power is concentrated, our women are seen and heard, and our lives are valued by political leaders and legislators. It certainly doesn’t come for free!

Much of what we have said to this inquiry – to every inquiry and to every committee – is not new.

For many, many years, we have, on the one hand, pointed out the same problems, the same systemic racism and attacks on our people, and on the other hand, we have repeatedly called for the same proven, self-determined solutions that will bring about change.

But are those in power listening to us?

If the federal government is listening – especially after the report was published last week – it may have heard the following.

There must be an end to political arbitrariness on issues directly related to the safety of First Nations women and children.

State, territorial and federal policymakers must work together to address the violence against our women and children, the high rates of child abduction, the poor and unacceptable health of our population and the excessive incarceration rates.

We need to break out of this perpetual cycle of investigations, petitions and hearings that result in recommendations in the form of reports that gather dust in government offices.

Our governments must stop blaming each other and take responsibility while our women and children’s lives are taken, families destroyed and communities devastated.

We must denounce the toxic 24-hour news cycle with its pressing and intrusive questions from media outlets that, frankly, in many cases, use our women and children as clickbait.

Policymakers must recognize that “quick fixes” are futile and wasteful, and that governments are pouring more and more money into police and racist law enforcement systems rather than into the services and support that keep our women safe.

We are stuck in an exhausting and endless cycle that never leads to significant change.

Now more than ever, we expect all policymakers – regardless of party affiliation – to take urgent action and make changes that put the safety of our women and children first.

As First Nations women, we will stay the course and speak our truths while politicians, bureaucrats and change agents will likely continue to remain baffled by the lack of progress and ignore the solutions we continually recommend.

The truth can be uncomfortable and painful. But it must be spoken and heard.

And we will never be silent or suppressed in our fight to ensure that our women’s voices are heard and our demands for action resonate in every corner of the country.

The governments and people of this country can no longer ignore us.