Victoria’s new family violence initiatives

The Centre is pleased to see the Victorian Government’s announcement of legal changes, education initiatives and on the ground programs to keep women and children safe.

Included in the package are increased therapeutic support for children and young people to help with healing and recovery.

The Centre’s CEO Deb Tsorbaris says these supports are vital for children and young people who witness and experience family violence.

The announcements follow the appointment of Tim Richardson MP as Parliamentary Secretary for Men’s Behaviour, focusing on the influence the internet and social media have on boys’ and men’s attitudes towards women and building respectful relationships.

View the Premier’s media release here: premier.vic.gov.au/changing-laws-and-culture-save-womens-lives

Family Violence initiatives announced

Legal

• Family Violence Intervention Orders providing enduring protection to keep victim survivors safer longer. Focus on perpetrators and their behaviour rather than requiring victims to reappear in court to gain extensions
• Giving Victoria Police power to issue longer family violence safety notices
• Changes to stalking offences and improvements to Personal Safety Intervention Orders
• Seeking guidance for magistrates on sentence for breaches of FVIOs

Culture

• Respectful Relationships curriculum – adding more intensive training and support for staff and inviting all remaining non-government schools to join
• Expanding thee Modelling respect and Equality MoRE) program to provide the right role models – piloted in 100 schools and rolling out to 240 more – building culture of healthy masculinity
• Learning resources to help schools teach kids to safetly navigate online with age-appropriate lesson plans on toxic masculinity, hate speech, pornography and coercive control.
• Resources for parents too
• Mandatory training for RSA to help hospitality staff identify and prevent sexual assault and harassment in venues
• Respect Victoria advertising to promote healthy attitudes among boys and young men, with a strong focus on social media.

Immediate response

• Boost case management and follow-up for men in behaviour change programs
• supporting a ‘Safe at Home’ pilot by McAuley Community Services for women at-risk of becoming homeless
• Personal safety initiatives including access to home alarms, security assessments, external lighting, locks, fencing upgrades, security screens and personal duress alarms.
• draw funding under the Commonwealth’s $1 billion National Housing Infrastructure Facility, for crisis and transitional accommodation for women and children fleeing family violence
• upgrade to the Central Information Point – an Australian-first that consolidates information about a perpetrator of family violence into a single report
• Justice Navigator pilot for survivors of sexual assault to find support, recovery and justice options
• increased therapeutic support for children and young people to help with healing and recovery,

Parliamentary Secretary for Men’s Behaviour – Tim Richardson

• focus largely on the influence the internet and social media have on boys’ and men’s attitudes towards women and building respectful relationships.
• Read announcement at premier.vic.gov.au/statement-premier-126

Cominghttps://www.premier.vic.gov.au/statement-premier-126

• The third Rolling Action Plan under Ending Family Violence: Victoria’s 10-Year Plan for Changewill be released later in 2024.
• Ministerial Action Working Group
• National Cabinet support for nationwide change.
• Announcement for Ballarat coming soon.