Women's Community Shelters has launched its Firefly First Nations Fund following International Women's Day, aiming to provide immediate and culturally safe support for First Nations women and children escaping domestic and family violence.
As of 2026, First Nations women are 27 times more likely to be hospitalised due to family violence than other women in Australia.
They are also 11 times more likely to die from assault, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare—statistics that illustrate the disproportionate and systemic risk faced by First Nations women and their children.
At Women's Community Shelters, New South Wales' leading for-purpose organisation providing accommodation and support for women and children, combating domestic and family violence is a priority.
In honour of International Women's Day 2026 theme "balance the scales", the Firefly First Nations Fund aims to close the gap and provide fair, inclusive, and accessible justice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and children.
"Like a firefly offering light in the dark, this fund responds when it matters most," said Danielle Jolliffe, First Nations Partnership and Outcomes Manager, WCS.
"This International Women's Day, we celebrate the strength of First Nations women and invite communities to support solutions that are led by, and for, First Nations women to help balance the scale."
The Firefly First Nations Fund will support WCS's Shelter Network to provide culturally safe, specialist casework tailored to each individual's circumstances.
"We know that providing safe and accessible cultural supports is an incredibly important part of the work that we need to do every day," said Annabel Daniels, chief executive of Women's Community Shelters.
"We need to be responsive and meet the needs on the ground, because we know that Aboriginal women and children are disproportionately affected by domestic and family violence."
From counselling and advocacy to transport and access to cultural activities, the fund will help women to remain in control of their own lives, restoring safety, dignity, and connection when it matters most.
Ms Daniels emphasised the importance of this approach, particularly in fostering a 'for mob, by mob' model of support.
"When you're addressing this issue, we know that Aboriginal women and children draw incredible strength from community and from connection, and that is something that we can all learn from," she said.
"A fund like this helps us do the important work of repair and restoration and support those very important cultural needs, and that can be everything from reconnecting with mob and family and community.
"It can be about culturally appropriate art supplies. It can be about the healing journey, or specific needs that women and children have, and all of those things are incredibly important for us to fund and to put in place."
Ms Daniels believes long-term action and solidarity is vital in narrowing the gap in First Nations domestic and family violence support.
"What we need to do as sector leaders is stand side by side with Aboriginal community-controlled organisations, recognise their strength and expertise, recognise that they are their own best experts, and also recognise that we all have a job to do supporting Aboriginal women and children in our services," she said.
It is Ms Daniels' hope that the Firefly First Nations Fund becomes a long-term program that contributes to improved outcomes.
"What we really hope it will do will become an ongoing initiative that recognises that one in four women and children who come to our services are Aboriginal, and to provide them with important and meaningful connections that help them on the path to a future free from abuse, where they can really determine their own lives and destinies," Ms Daniels explained.
"Being able to feel empowered, to have choice and to determine your own future is critical to recovery from domestic and family violence."
Donate to the Firefly First Nations Fund at www.womenscommunityshelters.org.au.
