In late 2017 Tanya Day tried to catch a train from Bendigo to Melbourne. Two weeks later she was dead.

Today, we retrace that path; from being kicked off the train and being arrested in Castlemaine, to injuring herself in the watch house, and ultimately the emergency department.

Was she treated differently because she was an Aboriginal woman?

Her family wants the Victorian Coroner to consider whether systemic racism could be responsible for her death.

If she agrees, it'll be the first time that question has been considered from the start of an Australian inquest.

We speak to someone who works directly with police to try to fix that problem in the US, and the people who want police in Australia to try the same thing.

EDITORS NOTE:

Victoria Police has provided a statement to the ABC, saying it's doing an audit of existing police stations to try to make them feel welcoming and safe for Aboriginal people.

It says "The Victoria Police Aboriginal Inclusion Strategy and Action Plan was launched in 2018 with the goal of strengthening partnerships with the Victorian Aboriginal community and to increase Aboriginal employment, economic participation and inclusion within our organisation."

"Victoria Police is committed to strengthening its partnerships with the Victorian Aboriginal community and has made a lot of progress over the years."

Featured:

Belinda Stevens, Tanya Day's eldest daughter

Dr Phillip Goff, Co-founder and President, Centre for Policing Equity (US)

Tamar Hopkins, founder, Police Accountability Project (AUS)