EVERYONE knows about the power of the press – how, through words, the media in its many forms can persuade or dissuade decisions of importance, can be informative and can even spark debate.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
In recent memory, that power has been responsible for stopping the tiny regional community of Pittong from being the state’s toxic waste dumping ground; it has helped communities rally and raise much-needed funds for fire and flood victims; it has also be credited with demanding changes to state laws regarding the parole system.
I have been fortunate in my 30 years of journalism to work in major regional centres like Mildura, Geelong and Ballarat, where there is a sense of community and a feeling of ownership of the local newspapers.
I have worked on major stories and campaigns, but nothing to compare with The Courier’s It’s Up To Us project this year.
The five-month campaign highlighted the many issues surrounding family violence, it educated the community about the many and varied services available for those involved in family violence scenarios and encouraged people to pledge an online oath to put a stop to violence against women.
In the past five months, I have listened to, shared tears with and written about some of the most amazing people who have trusted me enough to open up about the darkest times of their lives.
It has been their stories which have not only tugged at my heartstrings, but have affected others in the community, so much so they have been given the strength to seek help for their own situations.
For this campaign to work, I knew it had to be hard-hitting and confronting, because family violence is an issue that cannot – and should not – be sugar-coated. It is an issue that has no socio-economic, religious, cultural or age boundaries.
It is an issue which, for far too long, has been swept under the carpet.
It is now no longer a hushed subject in the Ballarat community, only spoken about behind closed doors
But I believe this campaign – which had the backing of the White Ribbon Foundation, police and local and national welfare organisations – has helped to bring this very important issue to the forefront of people’s minds in the Ballarat community.
Our program launch on June 29 was probably a little more confronting than conservative Ballarat may have seen and read in the past.
Current City of Ballarat Citizen of the Year and respected Aboriginal elder Tony Lovett confessed he had bashed his former partners.
It was his open and honest account of how he was the perpetrator of family violence – and how, through the help of Child and Family Services’ court-mandated program, he has turned his life around – that won this reporter a coveted Rural Press Club of Victoria award earlier this year. The same article was recognised by the United Nations Association of Australia as a finalist in this year’s UN media awards.
Another accolade for the campaign was taking out the City of Ballarat’s Community Safety Award media category only a month ago.
The Tony Lovett article was quickly followed with the heart-wrenching story of “Jane” and her children who fled into hiding after suffering abuse at the hands of her former partner.
Other stories throughout the campaign have been about the wonderful services and organisations in the Ballarat region that offer support, advice and a comforting shoulder to those going through family violence. Feature articles have been written with leading family court magistrates, respected anti-violence campaigner Phil Cleary and with the wonderful men and women who work in the Victoria police’s family violence unit in Ballarat.
This is the first time in my 30-year career I felt I truly made a worthwhile contribution to a community through my work. It is through the pages in the paper that The Courier has made a most important change in the way people think about family violence and how to prevent it and in the way the community, as a whole, perceives family violence.
It is now no longer a hushed subject in the Ballarat community, only spoken about behind closed doors. It is now being publicly talked about, people are feeling more comfortable about reporting incidents of family violence and the community is now much more informed about the myriad of services available to them.
If this campaign has helped just one person in the Ballarat community, then The Courier and I have done our jobs.
kim.quinlan@fairfaxmedia.com
FULL COVERAGE