An Indigenous senator has broken down in parliament talking about the impact domestic violence has had on herself and her family.

Northern Territory senator Nampijinpa Price paid tribute to her family members who died, including a mother and daughter, a woman who was a second mother to her, two aunts, two cousins and her niece.

Senator Price became emotional when said she was forced to identify the body of her cousin in the morgue.

She paid tribute to the children and family they left behind.

“If we are serious in this nation about lowering the rates of domestic violence for Aboriginal women, we have to listen to the voices of women who are prepared to speak up,” the Warlpiri woman said.

Injustices need to be followed up

Senator Price  spoke of the need for justice, telling the story of a woman whose sister was found hanged from a tree in a NT community.

“They believe she was murdered. The investigation didn’t find that,” she said.

“These are injustices that need to be followed up. These voices, those ones that are rarely heard, need to be heard.”

The Coalition senator also spoke of the need to increase the understanding of First Nations culture and the impact it had on domestic violence in Indigenous communities.

“We don’t want to recognise the pressures we come under as those who live under the confines of traditional Aboriginal culture,” she said.

“We talk about culture and toxic masculinity. It occurs in traditional Aboriginal culture as well … and we need to start taking this seriously.”

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-AAP