Indigenous women from Western Australia's north gathered in the nation's capital this week to urge federal authorities to act on the alarming disappearance of men in their region.
Noongar activist Megan Krakouer, from WA's south west, joined the women who have lost family members in recent years.
She told National Indigenous Times the rate of missing and murdered First Nations men is "significant and troubling".
"It is crucial for the government to make substantial investments to tackle this crisis. Families are demanding the establishment of a dedicated task force to address missing persons in the northwest region of Western Australia," she said.
"The lack of reward systems for those who can provide information leading to arrests in cases of suspected foul play is alarming."
Ms Krakouer said the women had recently had "impactful meetings" with Minister for Indigenous Australians Malarndirri McCarthy, WA senator Dorinda Cox and Victorian senator Lidia Thorpe to highlight the urgent need for reform.
"Families insist that the Australian Federal Police should oversee local investigations, as the current approach is seen as inadequate. It is unacceptable that no rewards have been offered. We must question whether there is a conscious bias against these Black men," she said.
"Families are urgently calling on the government to invest in effective solutions, including the establishment of a dedicated task force to address missing persons in northwest Western Australia.
"Rallies organised by the Aboriginal Tent Embassy have demonstrated the strength and resilience of First Nations communities. We will not relent in our pursuit of justice."
In September the women and other relatives of the missing men were joined by hundreds of supporters in a rally outside WA Parliament calling for action.
A WA Police Force spokesperson told National Indigenous Times at the time that missing persons, regardless of where they are reported missing, are "treated as a priority for WA Police Force".
"All investigations into missing persons are conducted using the same underpinning processes and procedures, and are resourced based on the needs assessed at the time," the spokesperson said.
"In all cases, regardless of who is allocated the investigation, the same standard of investigation is conducted, and in the case of land searches the same specialist support and resources are made available. Each missing person investigation is managed based on the specific circumstances of each case, and based on the information known to officers at the time.
"Every time a missing person is reported to police, the primary goal is to locate them as quickly and safely as possible. Unfortunately, this is not possible on every occasion, for a wide range of reasons, and in those circumstances where a missing person is not located police officers work hard to find answers for the family involved."
The police spokesperson said not knowing what happened to a loved one is "confronting and challenging" for the families and friends of missing persons, and WA Police "remains committed to finding answers for those families and communities".
"We welcome any information that leads us to finding these missing persons."
