Terrorist Attack in Boorloo Shows the Cost of Delayed Action: Gayaa Dhuwi Calls for Urgent Reform
Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit) Australia is calling for an urgent, whole-of-government response following the attempted terrorist attack in Boorloo (Perth), warning that violence targeting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities must be met not only with condemnation, but with accelerated action across social and emotional wellbeing, mental health and suicide prevention reform.
On 26 January, an improvised explosive device was thrown into a peaceful gathering of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and allies. The device did not detonate, narrowly avoiding catastrophe. However, the intent was unmistakable.
Terrorism is not simply racism expressed loudly. It is an escalation with the deliberate use of violence to instil fear, cause harm and silence a community. When an explosive device is thrown into a crowd of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people exercising their democratic rights, the response cannot stop at condemnation and criminal investigation alone.
Mass casualty cannot be the threshold for urgency.
For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, racism is not only a social issue, it is a determinant of mental health and social and emotional wellbeing. When racism escalates into attempted terrorism, it compounds intergenerational trauma and deepens psychological harm in communities already carrying the burden of systemic inequity and policy neglect.
Racism does not only harm when it becomes physical violence. It also harms when it is normalised, tolerated or dismissed in public life. What is accepted in public discourse shapes what is permitted in practice and the consequences are carried by our communities.
Recent weeks have also highlighted a broader pattern that governments can no longer ignore. The anniversary of the National Apology to the Stolen Generations has just passed, yet nearly three decades after the 1997 Bringing Them Home Report set out a roadmap for healing, implementation remains profoundly incomplete. In 2025, the Healing Foundation’s, ‘Are you waiting for us to die? The unfinished business of Bringing them home report’, found that only 6 per cent of the original recommendations had been clearly implemented.
At the same time, the Commonwealth has tabled its Closing the Gap Annual Report and 2026 Implementation Plan and outlined new and continuing investments. Those commitments are important, but commitments must be judged against outcomes.
In 2024, 306 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people died by suicide, an 8 per cent increase on the previous year and the third consecutive annual rise. Target 14 of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap commits governments to reducing the rate of suicide of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples towards zero. The trajectory is moving in the wrong direction, yet we are not seeing a clear, proportionate uplift in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social and emotional wellbeing, mental health, and suicide prevention investment.
Independent findings have also reinforced the need for structural reform. The Productivity Commission’s review of the National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement identified major gaps in accountability and system design, including long-standing concerns about how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social and emotional wellbeing is recognised, implemented and funded in national mental health reform settings.
Taken together, this is no longer a question of whether governments have enough evidence. The evidence, commitments, and frameworks are there. The question is whether implementation will occur at the pace and scale required to prevent compounding harm.
Professor Helen Milroy AM, Chair of Gayaa Dhuwi, said the events in Boorloo and the worsening outcomes demand a response that protects communities and future generations.
“Our communities draw strength from culture, connection and collective care. But safety is fundamental to social and emotional wellbeing. When racism escalates into violence, it undermines wellbeing across individuals, families and communities. We should expect better and future generations deserve to inherit systems that protect, heal and value them, not systems that repeatedly delay the reforms our people have already called for.”
Rachel Fishlock, CEO of Gayaa Dhuwi, said governments can no longer point to a lack of evidence or policy direction.
“We are now seeing the compounding effects of policy inertia. Governments have the findings, the commitments and the frameworks. They know what needs to be done. When implementation is delayed again and again, harm compounds and our communities carry the consequences.”
“The Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit) Declaration Framework and Implementation Plan 2025–2035 provides a clear, nationally endorsed pathway for embedding cultural governance and strengthening community controlled in mental health system reform to improve social and emotional wellbeing outcomes for our people. There is an expectation that governments urgently implement it in full. Delivery cannot keep being deferred while outcomes deteriorate.”
Gayaa Dhuwi is calling on all governments to publicly recognise the Boorloo attack as a matter of national concern with significant social and emotional wellbeing and mental health impacts, and to urgently accelerate implementation of the Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit) Declaration Framework and Implementation Plan 2025-2035 alongside the outstanding Bringing Them Home reforms and Closing the Gap commitments.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples continue to lead solutions grounded in culture, evidence and lived experience. Gayaa Dhuwi stands ready to work in genuine partnership.
Escalation requires a proportionate response and evidence must now be matched by implementation.
ENDS
Gayaa Dhuwi reminds the public and media outlets of the importance of responsible and culturally respectful reporting when it comes to issues affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. This includes adhering to the Good Yarn Guidelines and ensuring that crisis support services are promoted effectively.
24/7 crisis helpline services available to the community include:
13 YARN (139276) – a dedicated support line for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
Brother to Brother crisis line (1800 435 799) – providing support for men
Kids Helpline (1800 55 1800) – for young people in need of support
For further information, and resources, or to access support services, please visit www.gayaadhuwi.org.au
About Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit) Australia
Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit) Australia is the national peak body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social and emotional wellbeing, mental health, and suicide prevention. As a community-controlled organisation, it is governed and controlled by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander experts and peak bodies, working to promote collective excellence in mental healthcare.
Media Contacts:
Ben Signor
Ph. 0448 627 820; communications@gayaadhuwi.org.au
www.gayaadhuwi.org.au