Violence Against Women Bulletin - June 1998
Information Bulletin - June 1998: Volume 2, Issue 2
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Strategy Update
Feedback
Due to the large amount of interest in the Strategy, the Violence Against Women Specialist Unit is planning to produce a document to provide feedback on the direction and achievements of the Strategy so far as well as looking at future work. Once produced, this document will be distributed widely.
One of the challenges for the Strategy is positioning violence against women within a crime prevention framework. This was the subject of a paper presented by Claire Vernon, Executive Officer with the Violence Against Women Specialist Unit, at the Hobart conference Partnerships in Crime Prevention held in February this year.
Copies of Claire’s paper are available on request from the Violence Against Women Specialist Unit (see the last page for contact details).
Funding of Local Domestic Violence Committees ensured for 2 years
Local Domestic Violence Committees (LDVCs) are forums where agencies providing services to women and children who experience domestic violence can meet and discuss issues of relevance and concern.
On Stop Domestic Violence Day 1998, the NSW Government announced that under the NSW Strategy to Reduce Violence Against Women, funding for LDVCs is now guaranteed for the next two years. Eligible LDVCs will each receive $600 per year. Application forms for funding in the next financial year will be available shortly.
Council Update
Changes at the Council
Dr Moira Carmody will replace Jennifer Hunt as the Council’s representative from the Premier’s Council on Women.
Forum and Planning Meeting
The first forum of the NSW Council on Violence Against Women and the Regional Violence Prevention Specialists (RVPSs) was an extraordinary meeting between two elements of the Strategy whose roles are very different. The Council, charged with providing strategic/high level advice to the Attorney General and the Minister for Women, received advice about strategic regional issues relevant to Council’s terms of reference. The Council then used this information as a basis for its Action Plan for 1998/99. This Action Plan will be finalised at the next Council meeting on 6 August 1998.
State-wide Campaign
A strategic planning meeting held on 29 April 1998 began the development of the Strategy’s state-wide community education campaign. This will be one element of the community education provided under the umbrella of the Strategy. Other components include the community education projects being implemented in a number of regions across the State by RVPSs. The Strategy also funds Local Domestic Violence Committees, many of which are developing community education resources.
Stop Domestic Violence (DV) Day 1998
Stop DV Day has developed such a high profile it is hard to believe that it has only existed for three years. It is a tribute to the people who have volunteered time and energy in organising events across the State. All around the State, Local Domestic Violence Committees and other organisations ran successful community events. The Sydney-based organising committee for this year’s launch was able to capitalise on the support fostered by previous committees.
The Launch
The launch of Stop Domestic Violence Day 1998 was held on 24 April this year with the message Stop the Crime that Hurts Everyone in the Family.
The launch of the day featured the annual awarding of statements of recognition, a minutes silence for the victims of domestic violence and the launch of the NSW Police Service’s community education campaign on domestic violence for this year. The campaign features a powerful 30 second television advertisement aiming to:
- increase awareness that domestic violence is a crime;
- increase awareness that ‘the Police are there to help’; and
- increase reporting of domestic violence.
In her speech, the Hon. Faye Lo Po’ said the commemoration of Stop DV Day “allows us to applaud the strength and courage of women victims of domestic violence, and to affirm the determination and dedication of domestic violence workers and others who constantly confront violence against women in all spheres of life”.
Tamille Sheedy, who survived a brutal knife attack by her ex-partner, called for service providers to understand why women may give violent partners a second chance. She also asked for service providers to strengthen the partnerships between the different types of support and services a woman might need. “My message for women out there experiencing what I have been through is the system can work if we all work together” said Ms Sheedy.
The launch attracted workers from across the State and gained wide-spread television, radio and print coverage.
Statements of Recognition
The launch also featured the awarding of statements of recognition for excellence in service provision for victims of domestic violence or for excellence in the prevention of domestic violence. Each year, individuals or organisations are nominated by peers working in the field. A committee, comprising two people from the Stop DV Day organising committee and at least two independent people, chooses award winners through a system of awarding points based on the predetermined criteria distributed with the nomination forms. The awards were presented by the Hon. Faye Lo Po’, Minister for Community Services and Minister for Women.
Congratulations to this year’s recipients.
Statements of recognition for outstanding achievement in prevention were awarded to:
- Chris Burke, Director, Jannawi Family Centre, Lakemba;
- the staff of Cumberland Women’s Health Centre; and
- Julie Mitchell, refuge worker, Wollongong Women’s Refuge.
Statements of recognition for outstanding achievement in service delivery were awarded to:
- staff of Bathurst Corner House Women’s Refuge;
- Elsie Gordon, Co-ordinator, Dubbo Women’s Housing Program;
- staff of Hornsby Local Court;
- the Domestic Violence Team from Immigrant Women’s Speakout;
- Sue Pinkham, Co-ordinator, NSW Aboriginal Women’s Legal Resource Centre;
- Lesley Tierney, President, Management Committee, Hastings Women and Children’s Refuge; and
- Allan Targett, Domestic Violence Liaison Officer, Cabramatta Police Station.
Stop DV Day 1999
Plans are already under-way for next year’s Stop DV Day (Monday 26 April 1999). Each year, the Organising Committee comprises volunteers from a range of Government and non-Government agencies. If you are interested in being involved in the planning for Stop DV Day 1999 and have some time to dedicate, contact Caron Billings on ph: (02) 9381 0401. Meetings occur approximately monthly throughout the year, with fortnightly and then weekly meetings in the months immediately preceding the day.
What’s On, What’s New?
Women’s Domestic Violence Court Assistance Program Multilingual Media and Communication Campaign.
The Legal Aid Commission of NSW contracted EMD Multicultural Marketing and Management to develop and implement a media campaign promoting the Women’s Domestic Violence Court Assistance Program (WDVCAP) to women from non English speaking backgrounds.
The campaign includes specially designed radio advertisements, interviews, community service announcements and ethnic print advertisements.
The primary target group is women of all ages experiencing domestic violence. The campaign also targets women in target language groups who may know women in a violent situation and who may pass on information.
The target language groups for the campaign are Arabic, Chinese, Vietnamese, Spanish, and Turkish.
The campaign will run for 6 months from its launch by the Attorney General on 11 May 1998. The campaign will be supplemented by a multilingual poster and leaflets on the DVCAP that have been produced by Legal Aid Commission in: Chinese, Arabic, Italian, Greek, Vietnamese, Spanish, Tagalog, Macedonian, Croatian, Turkish, Serbian, Khmer, Persian and Lao.
For further information, contact Jennifer Perry at the Legal Aid Commission on (02) 9219 5086.
Partnerships, Prevention and Rural Action - a conference on violence against women out west.
A number of non-Government and Government agencies are planning to hold a week long conference on violence against women ‘out west’. Scheduled from 12 October - 16 October 1998, the conference will be held at the Burrendong Sport and Recreation Facility near Wellington, NSW.
The conference theme, Prevention and working together, what works?, will use existing knowledge, frameworks and report recommendations with a focus on the needs of:
- Aboriginal women and families;
- Immigrant and refugee women; and
- Remote and isolated women.
Initiated by Aboriginal women, one of the conference aims is to provide an opportunity to address issues of violence in Aboriginal communities, to strengthen networks and to develop links with service providers. The conference will develop prevention strategies building upon the knowledge and experience of regional communities. Recommendations within a number of reports will also guide the work of the conference including:
- dubay jahli;
- Heroines of Fortitude;
- Women Out West;
- Crime, Locality and Citizenship;
- Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody; and the
- NSW Aboriginal Women’s Conference in Dubbo.
If you would like to present a paper, conduct a workshop, display resources, or would like some more information please contact:
Elsie Gordon (02) 6884 1688;
Gwen Cosier (02) 6881 2244;
Liz Mulder (02) 6842 6447 or
Christine Foreman (02) 6884 7388.
News from the Regional Violence Prevention Specialists (RVPS)
RAPs are ready!
The Regional Action Plans (RAPs) for 12 of the 17 regions across the State are now available. The final five RAPs will be available in July. Each RAP provides background on the NSW Strategy to Reduce Violence Against Women, geographic and demographic information on the region, information about the development of that particular RAP and an overview of the projects to be developed in the region as well as some of the other regional work of the Regional Specialist.
The Regional Action Plans were developed using a community development approach. The planning process has emphasised that local and regional communities have valuable information and insights into how local problems and issues can be tackled and that local solutions are possible. The investment in this process is supported by international research which indicates that sustainable solutions to crime prevention issues work more effectively when identified and supported within the existing structures and resources of local communities. Local solutions can be found for local problems.
The Regional Action Plans (together with the Action Plan from the NSW Council on Violence Against Women and the business plan of the Violence Against Women Specialist Unit) are the last pieces in the puzzle describing the strategic direction of the NSW Strategy to Reduce Violence Against Women. RVPS and Regional Reference Groups will now be concentrating on implementing the projects described in the RAP documents. For a copy of the RAP for your region, contact your RVPS (see contact list below).
Launch of the Greater Murray Regional Action Plan
Karen MacLean, Regional Violence Prevention Specialist for the Greater Murray Region, launched her Regional Action Plan on 1 May 1998.
The launch was hosted by the Western NSW Local Domestic Violence Committee’s Regional Conference. Karen said “It was a great opportunity to celebrate past achievements in the region and a chance to look forward to the future possibilities as outlined in the RAP. People travelled a long way to show their support. The turnout for the launch was great and it really made me feel like there was a strong regional commitment to address violence against women.”
Homophobia: If the shoe was on the other foot would you still be kicking?: the question in South Eastern Sydney.
“This was the anti-violence message on a beautiful bold banner stretched across the centre of Hurstville for all to see” says Robyn Edwards, RVPS. The banner came about when Robyn joined up with Shopfront Theatre for Young People, for the Lesbian and Gay Anti-Violence Project’s (AVP) Homophobia: What Are You Scared Of? campaign.
The AVP, the artist and local young women collaborated to develop the banner. They aim to display the banner at their local schools. The banner is also available for local community events in South Eastern Sydney. Contact Robyn Edwards on (02) 9382 8145 if you are interested in using banner.
Special thanks go to the banner’s creators - Shopfront, artist Sue Hicks and the young women participants.
Regional Violence Prevention Specialists (RVPS) Contact List
Regional Specialist | Area Health Region | Location | Phone |
| Punita Boardman | Northern Sydney | Manly | (02) 9976 8020 |
| Judy Duggan | Far West | Bourke | (02) 6872 1795 |
| Robyn Edwards | South Eastern Sydney | Zetland | (02) 9382 8145 |
| Di Furniss | Northern Rivers | Lismore | (02) 6620 2401 |
| Lilian Gomez | South Western Sydney | Liverpool | (02) 9821 8527 |
| Cathy Hastings | New England | Tamworth | (02) 6768 2814 |
| Denise Henry | Illawarra | Wollongong East | (02) 4226 8143 |
| Anoop Johar | Wentworth | Penrith | (02) 4732 1322 |
| Helen Kay | Mid Western | Orange | (02) 6361 6925 |
| Karen MacLean | Greater Murray | Albury | (02) 6058 1850 |
| Jillian Meyers-Brittain | Hunter | Newcastle | (02) 4929 0921 |
| Matina Mottee | Central Sydney | Burwood | (02) 9715 0448 |
| Liz Mulder | Macquarie | Coonabarabran | (02) 6842 6447 |
| Chris Smith | Central Coast | Gosford | (02) 4320 2575 |
| Rugmini Venkatraman | Western Sydney | Parramatta | (02) 9633 0717 |
| Mary Willis | Mid North Coast | Taree | (02) 6551 1507 |
| Tashe Wise | Southern | Queanbeyan | (02) 6298 9966 |
The Violence Against Women Specialist Unit is based in the Crime Prevention Division of the NSW Attorney General’s Department. It is one of the central initiatives in the NSW Strategy To Reduce Violence Against Women.
This bulletin is for anyone interested in the prevention of violence against women and is intended to inform people about the NSW Strategy To Reduce Violence Against Women and its implementation. For more information about the Bulletin
ISSN 1328-4371
Click here to download the PDF version of the June 1998 Bulletin>>
 | To view a PDF document, you will need a copy of Adobe Acrobat on your computer. If you do not have a copy of Adobe Acrobat, you can download a copy for free from the Adobe site. |
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