Indigenous leaders hope music festival events will prevent family, domestic violence in Kununurra
People enjoyed letting their hair down at the event. (ABC Kimberley: Ted O'Connor)
In short:
Kununurra has routinely recorded some of the highest rates of family and domestic violence in Western Australia.
The local women's shelter organised a free, no-alcohol music festival that has been embraced by residents.
What's next?
Residents hope the fresh approach will help build stronger families and create positive environments for children.
A local rock band belts out originals and covers as an elder busts out dance moves in front of her grinning friends.
Children laugh and play as their parents relax in camping chairs and put on a picnic spread.
Local bands thrilled the crowd. (ABC Kimberley: Ted O'Connor)
The one-day music festival might seem like a fun, carefree community event but for Indigenous groups and traditional owners in Kununurra, 3,000 kilometres north of Perth by road, it has a serious purpose.
Miriwoong woman Margaret Moore said she was heartened to see families and children having fun, especially those she knew lived in tough circumstances.
"It's a big thing. It touches my heart," she said.
Margaret Moore (back right) enjoyed seeing happy families at the event. (ABC Kimberley: Ted O'Connor)
Petina Pitt-Lancaster, who manages a women's shelter that organised the alcohol-free Badayijeng Ninggoowoong-woorr Festival said the aim of the event was to encourage families into a positive social environment.
"Over the years everything is about crisis intervention, crisis driven, crisis funding," she said.
Banners at the festival raised awareness about domestic violence. (ABC Kimberley: Ted O'Connor)
"There's a lot of work done around separation and court systems and sending people to jail. We're trying to get in the space before that happens.
"We want people to go home tonight with their family with smiles on their faces and feeling really good about themselves."
Violence crisis
Police statistics indicate Kununurra recorded just over 930 domestic assaults last year, more than WA's largest regional city Bunbury, despite having just 6 per cent of its population.
About a third of people in the East Kimberley hub are Indigenous, with social issues such as overcrowding, poor health outcomes, and youth crime linked to intergenerational trauma being well documented.
The escalating violence has resulted in the deaths of a number of young women.
Late last year, Warrick Walkerbear was sentenced to 11 months in jail for killing his partner, known culturally as Ms Waterloo or NW, in the town and dumping her body in bushland.
Other cases continue to work their way through the court system.
Every year Indigenous leaders publicly gather and reflect on the pain caused by the incidents and some people who have experienced violence share their stories.
The women's shelter is using posters to raise awareness about domestic violence. (ABC Kimberley: Ted O'Connor)
Just the beginning
Rozanne Bilminga is from Mirima Indigenous community on the town's fringe.
The Miriwoong Gajerrong woman, also known as Darrgeyi, attended the music festival with her family and supported the positive approach to tackling an issue that had caused much heartbreak.
"This is just the beginning. It would be good to have every year," she said.
"Tonight you can see a lot of kids running around a lot of adults, a mix you know, white and black. Good to see people enjoying themselves."
The music festival aims to provide a positive environment for families. (ABC Kimberley: Ted O'Connor)
Magistrate vents concerns
Indigenous leaders hope such events also empower victims to use programs and the justice system to help put themselves on a better path.
Kununurra Magistrates Court sits for about a dozen days every month, and cases from the town can also be heard by video link when required.
When the ABC attended on June 28, at least 12 matters involved domestic violence.
Magistrate Colin Roberts expressed his frustration at the system.
He observed a high prevalence of alleged offenders denying the charges against them, therefore pushing cases to trial, and victims often not attending court to give evidence.
"It's incredible the amount of matters set down for a hearing, and complainants don't turn up, no wonder they plead not guilty," Mr Roberts said.
"Something should be done about it."
Sentencing a man who kicked his partner in the head, Mr Roberts noted the lower penalty that came with a guilty plea.
"I'm giving you a good credit, given just about everyone else pleads not guilty to assaulting their female partners," Mr Roberts said.
His concerns have been supported by others who work in the justice system, who told the ABC pressure from perpetrators' families and the sheer length of court processes discouraged victims.
Preventing violence before it happens
Margaret Moore said the court system was intimidating for people suffering violence.
"They tend not to go to court to lock their partners up for a long time," she said.
"There's a lot of us around who knows family members who are involved with DV, and I'm one of those people. It's horrible."
Families enjoyed watching Indigenous bands at the free event. (ABC Kimberley: Ted O'Connor)
Petina Pitt-Lancaster said she hoped a fresh preventative approach would tackle the issue at the source.
"The court system isn't an easy avenue for everybody, especially our women," she said.
"We are focusing these events on a space where people aren't getting charged and there's no violence. So we are trying to get in before that stuff happens."
Brianna Ozies (centre) says positive events can help empower victims. (ABC Kimberley: Ted O'Connor)
Brianna Ozies, who grew up in the Kimberley town of Derby, was also at the festival.
She said she was undertaking a medical placement in Kununurra as part of her training to become a doctor.
The Djugan woman said she had witnessed domestic violence firsthand.
She said positive and preventative programs and events could help empower victims.
"Sometimes people are literally too scared to leave," Ms Ozies said.
"Hopefully, through programs like this, we can provide some kind of support work so they feel that strength to leave that situation and better themselves and better their lifestyles for their kids as well.
"Having events like this and having local people in positions where they can talk through those processes so they can understand how to work the system so they can have better outcomes."