Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders have issued a stark warning to political leaders ahead of the federal election: "Ignore us at your peril."
Dozens of peak organisations across the country have united to remind politicians that indigenous people continue to experience isolation and disadvantage, arguing successive governments have failed to grasp opportunities for major change.
"We are tired of being marginalised, tired of being ignored, and we have come here today to present a united front in terms of all our very present issues that will not be denied," Jackie Huggins, from the National Congress of Australia's First People, told reporters on Thursday.
"Our people deserve much, much better than what we are seeing at the moment and what is being delivered to us at present."
Ms Huggins said Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were prepared to stand together for justice, equity and representation.
"Ignore us at your peril because we vote too and it is our people who are the most severely disadvantaged people in this country," she said.
Antoinette Braybrook, the chief executive of the Victorian Aboriginal Family Violence Prevention and Legal Service, called for action on domestic violence and its broader effects.
She said more than 90 per cent of Aboriginal women in prison were family violence victims.
"Aboriginal women are 34 times more likely to be hospitalised because of family violence and 10 times more likely to die from a violent assault," she said.
"Our women's lives are being lost and our children are being taken and our government needs to work with us to make this right."
Conversations have been had about broader health concerns, but that too is an area where Indigenous Australians say they are feeling ignored.
First People's Disability Network's Damien Griffiths said there was a lot of "we hear you" but not enough action, while Victorian Aboriginal Legal Services chief executive Wayne Muir said Thursday's gathering was evidence of the frustration Indigenous people feel about not being heard.
"Aboriginal people in this country are getting organised and we will stand together and we will stand united - we won't be divided and we will make a difference to election processes," he said.
"It's time the politicians of this country learn the lesson."
