Ballarat's Continuous Voices memorial project launches design phase

On Friday, November 3, it was a milestone moment when City of Ballarat councillors along with survivors, and Member for Wendouree Juliana Addison officially opened a national design competition for the memorial.

Council's Continuous Voices Community Reference Group member and LOUD Fence board member Blake Curran said the committee had been working non-stop since 2019 to see the memorial come to fruition.

"For me, personally, this project is important - my father was a victim of three of the priests in Ballarat, and is no longer with us," he said.

"It's also representing that past story so many people in Ballarat have, but it's also looking forward to the future."

Continuous Voices encompasses a project which connects trauma and creativity to stand for change and resistance against sexual assault and sexual abuse, and acknowledges the courage of those who have stood for change and provides hope for these continuous voices to be heard.

Mr Curran, a teacher, said he had noticed in the past few years more younger people are open to conversations about sexual assault and its prevention.

"I've had 16 year-old boys walk up and shake my hand and say 'we need to talk about this more'," he said.

As an Australian first, Mr Curran said he hoped the Ballarat memorial, which will be at Victoria Park, will be a "lighthouse" to other regional towns.

He said he hoped the memorial would be a place of reflection.

"We need to think of not only the survivors, but those vital networks, the wives, the husbands, the children of survivors, they're their own parents - everyone's had their own traumatic experience from one single trauma."

Ballarat mayor Des Hudson said it was a "potentially globally" significant project.

"For so long voices of victims have been pushed to the side, not believed," he said.

"The vulnerability of victims who have been preyed upon, and victims that were not likely to have a voice.

"We are launching the Continuous Voices project to say enough is enough. We absolutely believe victim statements and we want a place where people can go where we can shine a light on to this very significant, very complex issue that happens across communities."

Cr Hudson said Ballarat was a leader in the community to have this memorial.

"It speaks volumes for what our leadership as a regional centre and I think we have long said potentially the epicentre of institutional abuse and the harms that were caused across community and institutional abuse," he said.

"This is about Ballarat stepping up not only on a national stage, potentially a global stage to say, 'this is something that absolutely needs to have a light shone on this issue'.

"You can provide a space and you can provide leadership and hopefully that reduces instances of sexual abuse happening into the future."

Cr Hudson said he was proud the council were able to support this project with $520,000.

"This is matched by $500,000 from the state government and we are very thankful for that," he said.

The last leg of funding is still to be secured from the federal government.

"We have some continuing dialogue with the federal government and hopefully at the end of this phase when we have an artist and project in place, that's the time where we think that opening doors to the federal government are likely to be productive," Cr Hudson said.

Affected by this story? There is help available. You can phone the Ballarat Centre Against Sexual Assault, in Sebastopol, on 5320 3933, or free-call the crisis care line 24 hours on 1800 806 292. Or phone Lifeline on 13 11 14, the Blue Knot Foundation on 1300 657 380, or Relationships Australia on 1300 364 277.

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