The Victim Survivor Voices program continues to grow as advocacy efforts and preparations for the next phase of work remain key priorities. We were pleased to welcome Gemma White to the team as our new Project Coordinator. Gemma is a Social Worker with more than 14 years’ experience across the community sector in Victoria and the Northern Territory. She has worked in partnership with people with lived experience of homelessness and domestic, family and sexual violence to advocate for meaningful social justice reform across the homelessness and DFSV sectors. Gemma brings valuable skills and energy to the role and is already contributing to the next phase of the program.
Since our last update, we have remained focused on advocating for the findings from last year’s consultation. We are currently participating in the ACT Government’s Coercive Control Steering Committee meetings, in addition to working closely with the ACT Government on the development of the Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence (DFSV) Strategy. This work allows us to use a survivor-centred approach, ensuring victim survivor perspectives continue to inform policy discussions.
Alongside this work, planning is underway for the next phase of the Victim Survivor Voices program. The next tranche of work will build on consultation insights and other project outputs to guide future priorities and ensure the program remains responsive to the voices and experiences of victim survivors.