Restorative Justice or Colonial Compromise? Rethinking Responses to Family Violence in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities

This paper critically examines the application of restorative justice as a response to family violence in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Drawing on national and international literature, it identifies both the promise and the limits of restorative justice within settler-colonial contexts. While community-led, culturally grounded programs—such as those on Mornington Island and in Aurukun—demonstrate significant potential for healing, relational repair, and community self-determination, most initiatives remain constrained by inconsistent definitions, inadequate evaluation frameworks, and limited state support. Quantitative assessments often obscure culturally specific notions of success, overlooking the relational and political dimensions of justice. Indigenous and abolitionist scholars caution that restorative justice, when embedded within colonial institutions, risks becoming a reformist compromise that reproduces rather than dismantles carceral control. The paper argues for Indigenous-led, community-controlled justice systems grounded in sovereignty, care, and self-determination, positioning restorative justice not as a substitute for colonial justice, but as a site of resurgence toward Indigenous legal orders and collective healing.