Indigenous peak body's membership grows ahead of nationwide community consultations

Callan Morse Published September 21, 2026 at 1.30pm (AWST)

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Our Ways Strong Together has welcomed 19 new members to the newly-established peak body. (Image: Auspic, Department of Parliamentary Service)

Our Ways Strong Together, the national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peak body working to prevent family, domestic and sexual violence (FDSV), has announced a raft of new member organisations as the newly-formed network continues to grow.

The new peak body was launched earlier this year in the face of a scourge of violence which sees Indigenous women experience violence at overwhelmingly disproportionate rates.

Nineteen organisations from Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and the Northern Territory have been accepted as new members, growing the total number of member organisations to 38.

It comes after 14 organisations were announced as members in July.

Our Ways Stong Together, CEO, Olga Havnen, said she was proud to welcome the new members as the network continues to grow.

"Every organisation that joins strengthens the collective voice we're building for community-controlled family, domestic and sexual violence services across the country," Ms Havnen said.

"It provides organisations with the support and influence they need to thrive in an increasingly complex environment."

The member growth comes as Our Ways Strong Together works in partnership with the Department of Social Services to develop the Action Plan for the Our Ways Our Voices Strategy, Australia's first ten-year community-controlled national strategy to address FDSV.

To help shape the Plan, Our Ways Strong Together said it is consulting communities and services right across the country, bringing together community controlled organisations, service providers and people with lived experience.

Ms Havnen said the growing membership reflected the strength of the sector's demand for a national, community-controlled voice.

"38 members and counting tells us services want to be part of building something bigger than any one organisation," Ms Havnen said.

"Every conversation and every new member is helping shape what a community-controlled response to family violence looks like for the next ten years."

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled organisations (ACCOs) are eligible to become Our Ways Strong Together members if they provide family, domestic and sexual violence services/support - either as their primary purpose or as part of a general service delivery.

The full list of member organisations is available on the Our Ways Strong Together website.

Our Ways Strong Together new members