Women’s Health Matters acknowledges the significant work involved in developing the ACT Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Strategy 2026-36 and the introduction of new legislation to criminalise coercive control.
We especially recognise the vital contributions of participants in the Victim Survivor Voices pilot, whose expertise has informed both these processes. Through this pilot program, victim survivors have shared deeply personal lived experience and expertise. We acknowledge that sharing lived experience in this way can be exhausting, and that too often knowledge is taken without its intended impact being honoured.
We acknowledge the courage of the victim survivors who contributed their stories and insights. We thank Minister Paterson for recognising the contribution of victim survivors in the development of these initiatives, particularly for acknowledging the Too Urgent to Rush consultation report in the introduction of the drafted coercive control legislation. We urge the ACT Government to continue centring lived and living expertise across all work to prevent and respond to domestic, family and sexual violence in our community.
Women’s Health Matters is committed to ensuring that the voices of victim survivors, particularly Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, remain at the heart of shaping policy and reform. Victim survivors know what works and what continues to cause harm within our systems. Their expertise must continue to be meaningfully acted upon as these policies and laws take shape.
