Victoria's Minister for the Prevention of Family Violence has been grilled about the state government's efforts to halt the crisis of Indigenous women dying at the hands of violence.

Appearing in front of the Yoorrook Justice Commission on Thursday, Vicki Ward was confronted by Commissioner Sue-Anne Hunter, who noted Aboriginal women are 33 times more likely to be hospitalised for family violence injuries than non-Indigenous women.

"[Aboriginal women] are six times more likely to pass away from family violence than non-First Nations women," Ms Hunter said.

"This is the stark reality. These statistics are not just numbers, they represent lives shattered, families torn apart, and futures stolen."

Commissioner Hunter: "In Australia First Nations women are 33 times more likely to be hospitalised for family violence injuries than non-First Nations women and ... are six times more likely to pass away from family violence than non-First Nations women. /1

— Yoorrook Justice Commission (@yoorrookjc) June 20, 2024

In a fiery exchange, Ms Ward was halted in her comments about the state's efforts to fix the crisis by Ms Hunter, who noted: "I just keep hearing words about how 'we're doing this and how we're doing that'".

"It's actually not sufficient for anybody, any woman, to have a system that wasn't made for our people. Women, black or white, are still dying and we want to sit here and talk about a sophisticated system," Ms Hunter said.

"It's not very sophisticated if, at the hands of violence, women and children are still dying."

Minister for Prevention of Family Violence, @VickiWardMP, apologises for the failure of government to keep First Peoples women and children safe.#FamilyViolence #Minister #VickiWard #Yoorrook pic.twitter.com/Eec4KUdXw6

— Yoorrook Justice Commission (@yoorrookjc) June 20, 2024

Ms Ward outlined her stance, but when interjected by Ms Hunter, said: "I'm sorry that that's how you feel".

She earlier apologised to "First Peoples victim survivors, families, community and those directly affected by family violence".

"I also acknowledge that historically the systems that have been designed to keep women safe from family violence have been marked by discrimination and systemic racism. They have failed to listen to First Peoples women and have failed to keep First Peoples women safe," Ms Ward said.

"They have also too often led to the removal of children and perpetuated the intergenerational trauma that child removal can create. I apologise to First Peoples victim survivors, families, community and those directly affected by family violence."

She also acknowledged the "high number of First Peoples women who have violence used against them…it also needs to be understood that much of this violence is at the hands of men who are not First Nations people".

Last week, Yoorrook heard the majority of Indigenous women in Victoria had non-Indigenous partners, with this number rising to 85 per cent in Narrm.

Ms Ward said the government was "working to change" the reality faced by Indigenous women, and "working to amplify those voices".

However, Ms Hunter was quick to respond that the action was not fast enough.

"We do know the answers, just getting in sometimes, just getting in the Aboriginal voice, or getting an Aboriginal work. It's obviously not working," she said, further noting she didn't believe the minister was answering the questions being asked.

"I feel like we're getting a lot of 'the system this' and 'the system that', and 'it's better now'…It might be a better system now, but people are still dying, particularly Aboriginal women".

The commissioner read a quote from Larissa Behrendt, which argued just like colonisers believed they could take Aboriginal land without reprisal, "so too they assumed they could do as they wished with Aboriginal women without fear of interference from British law".

"This is nothing new for our women and I feel like we are just getting words and words," Ms Hunter said.

"I don't want to hear of another Aboriginal woman dying at the hands of family violence and for everybody to be silent on the issue again."

"I don't either," Ms Ward said in response.

The hearings continue.