It is not so radical to say we need to defund police and pour much needed funds and resources into areas that improve social issues such as housing, health, education and employment. These, in turn, reduce the incarceration rates of Aboriginal people and reduces the over-reliance of degrading and dehumanising punitive measures such as prisons.

This year’s National Reconciliation Week theme is In This Together. However, are we really in this together? Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities have called for a voice, we have called for a treaty, and we have called for a truth-telling commission.