Tribune’s note

The Minister for Health and Ageing announced a $6.7 million research investment to support safer First Nations families and communities through the National Health and Medical Research Council's Targeted Call for Research [TA-260320-health-3b0465bb19be]. The funding will support two multidisciplinary teams led by Professor Marcia Langton AO and Professor Faye McMillan AM, who will embed culturally safe, trauma-informed approaches to address domestic and family violence and improve workplace safety for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers [TA-260320-health-3b0465bb19be].

**Co-design and community-led research**

The portfolio frames the investment within a co-designed, community-led research framework, positioning strengths-based partnerships as the primary mechanism for addressing the disproportionate impact of violence on First Nations peoples and building long-term resilience [TA-260320-health-3b0465bb19be]. The announcement signals a preference for research that embeds cultural safety and trauma-informed practice as foundational design principles rather than supplementary considerations.

The dual focus of the funded research connects two policy domains within a single instrument: domestic and family violence prevention, and workplace safety for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workforce. By funding multidisciplinary teams through the NHMRC's Targeted Call for Research mechanism, the portfolio is channelling investment toward cross-field collaboration between researchers working on violence prevention and those focused on occupational health and safety in Indigenous health settings.

Primary records (1)

The official records this note draws on — the raw primary documents themselves, as published.

Media$6.7 million to address violence and protect First Nations families and communitiesMark Christopher ButlerFriday 20 March 2026