June Oscar
She is best known for her fight against Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) and work in improving the lives of Aboriginal people in remote communities, in particular the Kimberley (Western Australia) town of Fitzroy Crossing.
Recognised by the missionaries as being a clever child, she was later sent for secondary education at John Forrest Senior High School in Perth, before leaving at the age of 16 to return to Fitzroy Crossing.
[2] In 2009, Oscar was appointed Chief Investigator of the Lililwan Prevalence Study on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) and Early Life Trauma.
[7] In February 2017, Attorney-General for Australia George Brandis announced that Oscar was the new Australian Human Rights Commission's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner.
[15] In March 2007 Oscar became CEO of the MWRC in Fitzroy Crossing, that incorporated initiatives such as the Baya Gawiy Children and Family Centre, The Shelter women's refuge, a legal aid unit, a community garden, and a social enterprise.
[16] The MWRC were committed to protecting the safety and wellbeing of children, and wanted to stop the violence that was occurring in their communities as a result of alcohol abuse.
In response to calls from the community, the State Coroner for Western Australia, Alistair Hope, commissioned a coronial inquest into 22 recent deaths by self-harm in the Kimberley region.
They represented a significant segment of the community and gave their consent to the MWRC beginning a campaign to limit the sale of take-away alcohol in Fitzroy Valley.
The support of KALACC managed some of the forces in the community.Oscar's move to get the backing of elders and cultural leaders was a major factor in persuading the Director of Liquor Licensing to impose the alcohol restrictions.
When Oscar received threats and slander while running the campaign, commissioner O’Callaghan gave her his personal phone number and said "ring me anytime".
[citation needed] A review meeting was held in May 2008, approximately eight months after the restrictions began, which was attended by the Director of Liquor Licensing and members of the Aboriginal community.
Alcohol restrictions had encouraged government and non-government agencies to become more involved, a strong desire to not return to the chaos of pre-restriction times prevailed, and change needed to be substantial and long lasting.
Four of the Aboriginal communities in Fitzroy Valley, Wangkatjungka, Noonkanbah, Yakanarra and Bayulu, embraced alcohol restrictions after the Director's decision was implemented.
[20] The Notre Dame review also noted that benefits from the restrictions were not enough to address the deep-rooted issues associated with alcohol abuse, and communities in the Valley needed continuing support.
In her speech at the Western Australian Equal Opportunity Commission Forum, Perth, 10 August 2009, Oscar stated that Aboriginal leaders in the Valley had taken their first steps on the path of reconstructing their communities but now needed the government to support them:[18] It is a story of colonisation; the threat of losing our cultural authority to manage our societies; and the despair that has come from that disempowerment.
… I want to talk about how the leaders of the Fitzroy Valley in the Kimberley are working together to create a pathway of hope and community vitality and resilience… if our journey of social reconstruction could be measured as a one kilometre track, we have only travelled the first metre.
People who attended the meeting were concerned about the high number of children and families suffering from the symptoms of FASD and Early Life Trauma (ELT).
In November 2008, Oscar jointly developed a draft strategy to fight these issues titled Overcoming Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) and Early Life Trauma (ELT) in the Fitzroy Valley: a community initiative.
The George had previously developed Yajilarra (2009), a documentary film on Oscar's group of Aboriginal women's campaign to limit alcohol consumption in Fitzroy Valley, and was considered a suitable organisation to provide medical research services to the project.
Through consulting with Aboriginal communities and service providers before proceeding with the study, Lililwan Project set an example for all of Australia to see on how to successfully manage Indigenous affairs.
Stage 1 commenced in April 2010, and involved collecting demographic, prenatal and early childhood data and reviewing children's medical records.
Stage 2 commenced in May 2011, and involved conducting child health and development tests, and making opportunistic medical treatments and referrals.
As the director of Bunuba Films since 2000, Oscar was one of the driving forces in the company's marathon journey to bring Jandamarra's story to the stage.
Geoffrey Bolton, a distinguished Australian historian, compared Jandamarra to guerrilla leaders such as the Mexican revolutionary Emiliano Zapata and Sicilian rebel Salvatore Giuliano.
"[25] Yajilarra (2008) by Australian director Melanie Hogan, was a powerful documentary film based on Oscar's and the MWRC's campaign to restrict alcohol consumption in Fitzroy Valley.
In 2007, Oscar and Emily Carter from the MWRC invited the Sex Discrimination Commissioner (Australian Human Rights Commission), Elizabeth Broderick, to visit Fitzroy Crossing and help them to make a film that would create social change.
[18] Tristan (2011) by Hogan was a follow-up film to Yajilarra and was commissioned by Oscar and the Lililwan Project, The George and the University of Sydney Discipline of Paediatrics and Child Health.
