Professor Mike Dodson’s call to make the issue of domestic violence in Aboriginal communities a national priority has met with resounding response. Dodson’s message centered around the fact that national and indigenous leaders are ignoring the escalating rate of family violence in indigenous communities. In response, The National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organization has supported the decision to treat Aboriginal domestic violence as a national emergency and the Federal Indigenous Affairs Minister Philip Ruddock has advocated increasing funding to combat domestic violence. Even Australian Prime Minister John Howard has expressed interest in working with indigenous leaders to solve the problem, and is expected to place the issue on the agenda of the upcoming Federal, State and Territories Attorneys-General meeting.
