International Women's Day 2023: Child and Family Services Ballarat advocates for increased family violence funding

On the eve of International Women's Day 2023, Child and Family Services (Cafs) Ballarat CEO Wendy Sturgess has called for more emergency and social housing, and more early intervention and outreach across the Central Highlands as the scourge of family violence continues to prevent women and girls reaching their full potential.

The Ballarat Foundation's 2022 Vital Signs report found that in 2021, the rate of family violence common assault in Ballarat was 24.2 per 10,000 persons - approximately 12 per cent higher than the state average of 21.5.

And it's a gendered issue, with women nearly three times more likely than men to experience violence from an intimate partner, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Ms Sturgess said progress had been made in recent years, with increased visibility of support services like Orange Door, ongoing men's behaviour change programs, and more women in leadership roles promoting a culture of respect and inclusion.

But there were still big gaps in areas of need such as homelessness of women and children fleeing family violence amidst a lack of affordable housing stock.

Increased understanding of the scope of family violence, to include forms of coercive control, had increased demand on support services, Ms Sturgess said.

As had the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns, which saw an increase in women engaging family violence support for the first time - whether through self-referral or neighbours "hearing more" as everyone stayed home more.

Ballarat women and girls were still being disadvantaged by simply living in a regional city, Ms Sturgess said, with those in more remote areas particularly struggling to access appropriate support.

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For the Central Highlands' outlook to improve for the next generation of women, better outreach services, more education around respectful relationships, and more government funding for programs aimed at young people to "break the cycle of violence" was needed, Ms Sturgess said.

"Accommodation is critical, and so is getting services out into areas where women can seek services in an easier and less stigmatised place - whether that's schools, kindergartens, or other community settings," she said.

"We're also really committed to getting more funding to provide adolescent violence programs, particularly for children who've grown up in violent households who might have only had violence modelled or coercive control modelled as a form of conflict resolution - we pioneered that work and we need more funds to do that work."

"The more money we get in early intervention, the better chance of healthier outcomes for everybody - for families, for women, for children," she said.

"The more you make people aware of what is unacceptable behaviour, and the more services you have to support women to leave, knowing that it's the most vulnerable time when they do leave family violence situations - you've got to have those services to back up women or you're putting them at serious risk."

Support is available for those who may be distressed.

Phone Lifeline 13 11 14; MensLine 1300 789 978; Kids Helpline 1800 551 800; beyondblue 1300 224 636; 1800RESPECT 1800 737 732.