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Q&A: Nakkiah Lui Says We Shouldn't 'Paint Broad Brush Strokes' On Indigenous Domestic Violence Victims

'I thought being a victim of domestic violence was inherent to who I was as a person.'
ABC

Jacinta Price's call for a national taskforce on Indigenous family violence made headlines last week, and the issue was not ignored on Monday night's Q&A program.

Pannellist and Indigenous actress Nakkiah Lui opened up about her own experience with domestic violence to reveal why it is important for political leaders and the community to avoid painting "broad brush strokes" on the Indigenous community.

"The reason I say we should not talk in big brush strokes is when we start demonising Aboriginal men, what we're also doing is demonising Aboriginal women," Lui told the audience.

"When we're saying domestic violence and perpetrating is inherent to Aboriginal men, we're saying being victims is inherent to Aboriginal women."

The actor said she did not realise this "stigma" until she was a victim of domestic violence herself, after her mother survived domestic violence.

"It wasn't until I remember very, very vividly standing in front of the police with my busted lip at the house I was at with my partner at the time and just thinking to myself, 'You stupid Aboriginal girl. You are so disappointing and you're disappointing to your community.'

"I thought me being a victim of domestic violence was inherent to who I was as a person."

You can watch the entire response here:

Lui was joined by Liberal Senator Eric Abetz, Labor MP Terri Butler and journalists Benjamin Law and Greg Sheridan for the final Q&A for the year.

Debating everything from Donald Trump's election to free speech and the racial discrimination act the panel only united on the issue of domestic violence -- for a few moments.

Abetz argued families needed to take the issue into their own hands and "call out" domestic violence if a child has become a victim.

"At the end of the day government funding will not deal of itself with the scourge within the communities," Abetz told the audience.

Butler said funding and support services were critical to reducing domestic violence across the nation, and in particular, regional areas. The Labor MP said Aboriginal women were 34 times more likely to become victims than non-aboriginal women.

"What is worse is the seriousness of the violence -- prevalence but seriousness. It's not just the fact you're more likely to be hospitalised. You're 60 times more likely to suffer a head injury if you're an Aboriginal woman," Butler said.

On Thursday, Price called for action to be taken on reducing violence within Indigenous communities, arguing the gap cannot be closed until violence is addressed.

Citing a number of family violence cases within her community Price said: "Some close to me have also expressed their concerns, but why am I standing here if not to hold us all to account for the lack of responsibility, action and justice for these Aboriginal women and children?"

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