In this powerful TEDx talk, Vanessa shares her personal journey as a survivor of the Family policing system also known as the child removal / welfare system, and how it led her to become a human rights lawyer and advocate for change.

As a survivor, Vanessa witnessed first hand the flaws and injustices within the child removal system. This experience ignited a passion within her to challenge the very notion of the state as a parent. Vanessa sheds light on the inherent limitations of the state's role as a parent, and why it is crucial for us to take responsibility and work collaboratively to support families in need.

Vanessa seeks to challenge the status quo and embark on a journey towards a society where community support and collaboration take precedence over a flawed and impersonal state system. She believes that, together, we can create a future where every child thrives and families are empowered to flourish. A proud Bundjalung Widubul-Wiabul Woman, lawyer and advocate for Human Rights, Vanessa took out the Australian Human Rights medal awarded by the Australian Human rights commission which her acceptance speech saw global recognition and responses. Vanessa is a 2023 Fulbright scholar where she is building international and national relationships in the field of human rights, and is a recognised speaker and media commentator globally and domestically here in Australia. Vanessa is also completing her PhD at the University of Technology where her research is centred around decolonising child protection in the lives of First Nations people and is currently writing her first book titled “ Long Yarn Short: We are still here”. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx