Long Yarn Short

‘Brilliant expose of the toxic debacle that is family policing. Essential reading. If you think the state can be a safe parent, read this book.’ Melissa Lucashenko

‘Vanessa speaks to the child in us all: vulnerable, loving and in need of being loved. Read this and remember that a better tomorrow starts with our children.’ Stan Grant

‘This is a song of defiance and fierce hope that demands to be heard. You will not forget the unconquerable spirit that animates this story. Out of injustice and loss, Vanessa crafts a vision of a better future based on connection to culture and community.’ Professor Michael Salter

‘Long Yarn Short needs to be on the shelf of every Australian living on unceded land and beyond. With precision and courage, Vanessa Turnbull-Roberts lacerates the colonialist institutions that white Australia still hides behind to degrade and harm First Nations people. A testimony of survival and the indefatigable pride of Aboriginal communities, Long Yarn Short is an essential text from an unstoppable force.’ Clementine Ford

‘Long Yarn Short is a must-read, powerful, first-hand account of survival in the out-of-home care system.’ Distinguished Professor Larissa Behrendt

‘A deeply moving first-hand account by a survivor of child removal. Defying great odds, Turnbull-Roberts overcame the insurmountable obstacles put in her way, and her strength and tenacity proved to be her saving grace.’ Dr Jackie Huggins

‘Vanessa has written a profound and compelling tale of surviving the family policing system. Long Yarn Short is an honest, searing account of being removed from one’s family, and the system’s impact on a child and the community around them. Vanessa speaks directly to readers with a firm power and clear-eyed hope, calling for the abolition of the family policing system and the complete reimagination of how we support the most vulnerable in society, guided by the millennia of First Nations folks who have come before. This book is a true gift.’ Yassmin Abdel-Magied

Vanessa Turnbull-Roberts is a proud Bundjalung Widubul-Wiabul woman with degrees in law and social work. She was recognised with an Australian Human Rights Medal in 2019. Vanessa is a lawyer and Fulbright scholar whose current research focuses on unveiling the intersections of human rights, child removal, and the implications of forcible removal. Her work ensures that First Nations child survivors and those impacted are heard, while providing solutions towards ending child removal. In 2024, Vanessa was appointed the inaugural Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People Commissioner for the Australian Capital Territory (ACT).