The call for (yet another) Royal Commission into poor outcomes in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations is not sensible nor would it deliver any new information about how to prevent and manage these problems.

Child Sexual Abuse is sadly happening to Australian children not just those who are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander.

We have researched the pathways that result in this abuse and all other forms of child maltreatment and neglect; for many years and with international collaborations our research shows that the pathways are all similar. They point clearly as to what needs to be done to reduce the numbers of children who are being damaged by these actions.

The overwhelming factor predicting child maltreatment is poverty and its associated problems (poor housing, social unrest, substance abuse, mental illness in parents). In the case of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations these pathways into poverty and high risk for poor outcomes in children and young people began with colonisation, marginalisation and particularly with the most damaging forced removals of children from families and land.

Our WA Aboriginal Child Health Survey of thousands of Aboriginal families in WA, across all areas from cities right through to remote communities, quantified (for the first time) the extent and the impact of being forcibly removed. Between 40-60 percent of all children in the early 2000s gave a history of forced removals in their families. The impact on mental illness, substance abuse, gambling, domestic violence and general health was clearly evident across subsequent generations.

The inter-generational trauma from this activity has been profound and is a major reason why child maltreatment has occurred and is still occurring today. In the early 2000s the Federal government in collaboration with SNAICC (Secretariat for National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care) introduced over 70 early childhood centres run by Aboriginal people. They were culturally sound, trusted, focused on strengthening families and providing the best early life experiences for these children. They were successful in closing the gap (more children ready for school, increasing rates of Year 12 retention).

In 2015, the Coalition government defunded all these centres and did not replace them with anything that would break the cycle of intergenerational trauma. And now Opposition Leader Peter Dutton and others are asking why so many of our young Aboriginal people are not on track! To prevent problems, you need to understand developmental pathways. Even children with FASD (Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder) do better in these preventive programs. They certainly would not be ending up in youth detention.

The introduction of therapeutic, wrap around, nurturing, culturally strong and loving early childhood services is by far the best way to prevent child abuse. To reinstate the Aboriginal-controlled early childhood centre funding would be the most important and cost-effective intervention. We have recommended this to successive governments and to the current Productivity Commissions investigation into early child education and care, chaired by Deborah Brennan.

The response of the Coalition government to the Little Children are Sacred Report (2007) on child sexual abuse in the Northern Territory was the exact opposite of the recommendations made by Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal experts. Instead of supporting families and communities, to reduce harms from all the negative impacts of colonisation, the government went in with a hugely expensive and damaging NT Emergency Intervention. This was almost a military campaign involving the army and other repressive measures. The result was horrifying as child sexual abuse rose in the NT every year after that. And self-esteem fell, domestic violence increased and school attendance did not improve.

We pleaded with governments to understand that the pathways are best interrupted early and before irreversible damage is done. But to no avail. We find this anguishing. We find it unacceptable that the opposition would now be calling for another Royal Commission. It would take months even years to be finished and our evidence based recommendations could be implemented immediately.

Sandra Eades, Professor Indigenous Health University of Melbourne

Fiona Stanley, Patron Telethon Kids Institute