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Women’s Sector calls on next ACT Government to deliver on what women need

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The CEOs of eight organisations supporting Canberra women today launched a joint election platform outlining urgent priorities to be addressed by the next ACT Government.

In launching the election platform, Lauren Anthes CEO of Women’s Health Matters said:

“the women’s sector is united in calling on the future ACT Government to commit to a number of critical and overdue actions that will lift women’s overall wellbeing as well as viably resource a skilled, feminised sector that delivers essential community services and represents the needs of women.

This is the first time the women’s sector in Canberra has come together to advocate for a suite of shared priorities. While there has been important progress towards gender equality in Canberra, women continue to experience inadequate access to health services, workplace inequality and high rates of domestic and family violence”.

Robyn Martin, CEO of Beryl Women, Australia’s longest running specialist domestic violence service, said:

“The women’s sector provides a range of vital services, including support to women experiencing poverty and homelessness due to domestic and family violence. But without adequate funding, our services simply cannot meet the demand in the community. This election is an opportunity for candidates to understand the pressures facing women and the women’s sector in Canberra and to address them in government.”

 

Kiki Korpinen, acting CEO of Canberra Rape Crisis Centre, said:

“This election is an opportunity for government to better support and respond to the needs of ACT residents seeking support in relation to
complex trauma as a result of sexual violence. CRCC acknowledges this important partnership and welcomes the opportunity to continue to work together with the government for the best possible outcomes for victim/survivors.”

The election platform includes the following calls:

 

1. Prioritise ending domestic, family and sexual violence

●Increase funding for women’s specialist services to keep pace with growing demand and additional case management needs. An undersupply in social and affordable housing and underinvestment in crisis support continues to impact on safety outcomes and must be rectified.
●Develop a comprehensive, intersectional, evidence-based strategy to end domestic, family and sexual violence in the ACT.
●Increase funding to crisis services to recognise children as individual users and to meet their additional case management needs.

2. Recognise and resource specialist approaches to end sexual violence

●Resource subject matter experts to develop a complex trauma model for responding to victim/survivors of sexual violence.
●Resource the expansion of sexual violence prevention and early intervention practices including training, awareness raising and driving social reform around recent and historical sexual violence.
●Commit to resourcing frontline crisis services providing crucial support to victim/survivors of sexual violence who are women, LGBTQIA+ or victim/survivors with disability.

3.Promote women’s health and wellbeing

●Increase funding for no cost early medication abortion to meet shortfall, including for management.
●Commit to an inquiry into forced sterilisation in the ACT.
●Commit to fund the ACT’s first residential perinatal mental health facility.

4.Value women’s work

●Adequately resource emergency placements for children aged 0-5 in early education so as to recognise the true-value of providing these services.
●Fund increases that reflect the projected increase in demand through a population-based model.
●Provide an incentive program for businesses to employ women who have experienced complex trauma or have recently exited prison.

5.Resource women’s policy

●Increase internal resourcing to the Office for Women to coordinate and drive gender equitable policy for women across government.
●Fund the development and implementation of the next ACT Women’s Plan.
To read the sector’s election platform, visit https://www.womenshealthmatters.org.au/news/what-womens-services-need-2024/

Media Contact:

media@womenshealthmatters.org.au

Women’s Health Matters is the voice for women’s health and wellbeing in the ACT. We work to improve the health and wellbeing of all women in the ACT and surrounding region. We do this by improving women’s access to health information. We also do research to improve knowledge and understanding about the causes of health and illness for women in the ACT.

Beryl Women provides professional accountable, trauma-informed specialist domestic violence service, which is based in principles of feminism, social justice and reconciliation, and recognises and fosters cultural diversity. Beryl has an ongoing commitment to supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and children, and women and children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Beryl works with women to ensure that they are empowered to make decisions about their lives and to support them in acting on those decisions.

Canberra Rape Crisis Centre (CRCC) is a feminist organisation aiming to eliminate sexual violence within our community. CRCC provides comprehensive support including crisis phone lines, counselling and advocacy services to people impacted by sexual violence. CRCC also provides specialised services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities as well as education and training programs.

Overview of Victim Survivor Voice consulting on design survey findings

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If you are in immediate danger call 000. Further support services can be found at the bottom of this document.  

Background

The Victim Survivor Voice project is to design, develop and pilot and intersectional and sustainable consultation model for adult victim survivors of domestic, family and sexual violence (the model).

People with lived experience of domestic, family and sexual violence are at the centre of the Victim Survivor Voices project. It is extremely important to us to listen, and act, on their thoughts, feedback and concerns at all stages of this project.

Survey consulting on the design of the Victim Survivor Voice project

Women’s Health Matters ran a survey in February and March 2024 to seek input from people with lived experience on the development of the Victim Survivor Voice project.

This survey was for people who:

  • Were aged 18 years or older,
  • Have experienced any form of domestic, family and/or sexual violence, and
  • Live in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and region.

This survey asked:

  • Would you be interested in becoming involved with the Victim Survivor Voice consultation model to inform improved services and systems?
  • Please tell us about what Women’s Health Matters could do to make you feel comfortable, respected and supported if you became involved in this project?
  • Is there anything else you’d like to tell us?

We thank the approximately 150 people with lived experience of domestic, family and sexual violence who took part in this survey. We value the expertise, generosity and contribution of every one of these people.

Our Violence Prevention Coordinator read every individual survey response. Thematic analysis was then used to highlight the key survey findings. These findings are included below.

Who we heard from

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We asked people to tell us whether they were a member of any of the diverse and intersecting identities we listed, inviting them to select all that apply.

  • 34% of respondents said that they were not part of any of the groups listed
  • 66% selected one or more of the following:
    • 32% selected ‘People living with mental illness’
    • 26% selected ‘People with disabilities’
    • 22% selected ‘LGBTIQ+ communities’
    • 13% selected ‘Multicultural communities’
    • 7% selected ‘Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities’
    • 10% selected ‘Carers’
    • 7% selected ‘Other’
    • For each of the following options, fewer than 6% selected:
      • ‘Prefer not to answer’
      • ‘Young people’
      • ‘People employed in the sex work industry’

What we heard

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When we asked if people would be interested in being involved:

  • 62% said yes
  • 29% said they were unsure
  • 9% said no

From the people who provided qualitative (written) responses

  • 18% said they are motivated to use their lived experience to support other people who experience domestic, family and sexual violence
  • 11% raised the importance of being respectful and inclusive of diverse experiences, and recognising that people experience domestic, family and sexual violence in many different ways
  • 11% said they would like to have the option to participate anonymously
  • 20% raised the importance of respectful and trauma-informed practices, including:
    • Believing women
    • Providing flexible opportunities to participate
    • Demonstrating cultural integrity
    • Providing participants with clear information, transparency about processes and clarity about expectations
    • Reimbursing people for their time and expertise
    • Respecting privacy and confidentiality
    • Providing a non-judgemental environment
    • Having a recovery and healing focus
    • Providing ways to stay up to date with how information from participation is used
    • Demonstrating empathy and kindness

We heard the importance of providing a variety of different ways to participate. We heard that some of these ways could include:

  • Attending a community forum
  • Taking part in a one-to-one interview
  • Participating in a peer group with other survivors
  • Completing a survey or questionnaire
  • Developing, drafting and reviewing a policy submission
  • Meeting online and/or in-person
  • Sharing a personal story or experience
  • Providing an artistic and/or written submission

We heard that some people who are not sure about participating have concerns about:

  • Not having enough time to participate
  • Feeling concerned for their safety if a perpetrator or family member found out they had participated
  • The risk of being re-traumatised by talking and thinking about their experience
  • Feeling that their own experience of violence was too long ago, or does not count as a valid experience

Some areas people are interested in consulting on include:

  • How children and young people experience violence
  • How people with disability experience violence
  • Improving the legal system
  • Accessing and navigating supports

Other important points people raised were:

  • Taking action and demonstrating outcomes from lived experience input
  • Sufficient time must be provided throughout all stages of the process
  • Voices are diverse, so representation should be too
  • Personal circumstances can change very quickly, so it is important to be flexible and allow for involvement at different stages of the process
  • Many people feel most comfortable speaking to female staff
  • Not everyone with lived experience of domestic, family and sexual violence identifies as a ‘victim’ or ‘survivor’

What will happen now

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Women’s Health Matters will soon begin development of the model, continuously testing it with key stakeholders (including people with lived experience). Findings from this survey, as well as information gathered from community consultation and research, will be used to inform the design of the model.

Where you can find support

If you are experiencing domestic, family or sexual violence, please know you are not alone and help is available.

  • Phone 000 if you are in immediate danger.
  • 1800RESPECT is the national domestic, family and sexual violence service. They can be contacted on 1800 737 732 or 1800respect.org.aufor 24/7 confidential information, counselling and support.
  • The Domestic Violence Crisis Service 24/7 crisis intervention line can be contacted on 02 6280 0900 and further information can be found at dvcs.org.au.
  • The Canberra Rape Crisis Centre crisis line can be contacted on 02 6247 2525 between 7am and 11pm seven days a week and further information can be found at crcc.org.au.

FAQ: Victim Survivor Voice Survey

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Supported by ACT Health Directorate

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