Landscapes of Violence

Has there ever been another election in our State when the issue of gender based or family violence has been such an issue?

It is two years since Minister Mary Wooldridge introduced the Victorian Government’s whole of government strategy ‘Ending Violence’  in October 2012, and the member-based women’s and community organisations have worked hard to keep track of the many government and community partnerships for  reducing if not eliminating violence against women and children. What is working and what is not? What more needs to be done?

Focussed research and data collection has to be a key to finding better ways for dealing with what seems to be endemic violence in our community.  This is why the research project Landscapes of Violence: Women Surviving Family Violence in Regional and Rural Victoria’, authored by Amanda George and Dr Bridget Harris at the Deakin University’s Centre for Rural Regional Law and Justice, is really significant.

Landscapes of Violence is being launched on Friday 7 November, 9:45 for 10:00 am, at the Deakin University CBD campus, Level 3, 550 Bourke Street Melbourne and at five rural locations via videoconference: Bendigo, Churchill, Geelong, Mildura, Warrnambool. 

I am delighted to have been asked to speak at the launch along with Dr Patricia Hamilton, President, National Rural Women’s Coalition Ltd. A full report of the findings of the project will be supplied in the next NCWV newsletter.