THE ACT’s inaugural Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People Commissioner is award-winning human rights advocate, lawyer and Fulbright Scholar Vanessa Turnbull-Roberts.

The ACT government says Ms Turnbull-Roberts is a Bundjalung Widubul-Wiabul woman with “lived experience of the impact of the child protection system on First Nations peoples”.

In her new independent role, Ms Turnbull-Roberts will work to protect and promote the rights, interests and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people in the ACT, individually and at a systemic level.

Vanessa Turnbull-Roberts says: “I’ll be working towards important outcomes to bring our children home and ensure that country, connection and healing are paramount to our people.

“First Nations families and communities have continued to hold the solutions that work for us, by us.

“Our strength lies in the people that have come before us, our collective struggle and resilient history, our ancestors, knowledge holders, healers and country – and this will continue for eternity with our young.

“I look forward to working with First Nations families and communities as we strive to end discrimination and ensure the rights of First Nations people are heard – in particular, addressing the urgent pipeline of child removal and incarceration. I invite all to come on this journey and work together in creating fundamental change.”

Ms Turnbull-Roberts will start her five-year term as commissioner on February 26. The independent, statutory role was designed in consultation with First Nations peoples as part of the recommendations of the 2019 “Our Booris, Our Way Report”.