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Acknowledgement
Council acknowledges the Wagga Women’s Health Centre as the project’s partner, their proactive engagement with our community on the issues of Domestic and Family Violence and their continued commitment for this project. Council also acknowledges the members of the Wagga Wagga DV2650 Steering Committee for their participation in the project:
• Councillor Greg Conkey, Mayor of City of Wagga Wagga • Jenny Rolfe-Wallace, President, Wagga Women’s Health Centre • Gail Meyer, Manager Wagga Women’s Health Centre (till December 2020) • Dr Joe McGirr, MP Independent Member for Wagga Wagga • Aaron McDonnell, proxy for (M. McCormack, MP) • Julie Redway, COO, Murrumbidgee Primary Health Network • Mark Calverley, CEO Southern Sports Academy • Andrew Crakanthorp, CEO, Riverina Water • Dr Stacey Jenkins, Acting Head of School at Charles Sturt University • Belinda Crain, CEO, Multicultural Council of Wagga Wagga • Andrew Stockman, Department of Regional NSW • Fiona Piltz, Head of People and Culture, Catholic Education, Diocese of Wagga Wagga • Phil Malligan, District Inspector and Winston Woodward, Detective Chief Inspector, Riverina
Police District
The project has also valued the engagement and support from Council’s senior management and senior leaders across the organisation. Thanks, is also extended to the staff members who acted as ambassadors and took independent action, promoting key messages within the wider community to prevent violence against women. Council and Wagga Women’s Health Centre acknowledge the strength and resilience of adults, children and young people who have experienced family violence. We pay respects to those who did not survive and acknowledge friends and family members who have lost loved ones to this preventable and far-reaching issue. We also acknowledge the work that local and national specialist services provide (early intervention and crisis response) to the Wagga community and acknowledge the importance of that work being appropriately funded. The importance of primary prevention initiatives being front of mind is essential for our community in reducing instances of violence against women, whilst at the same time there still remains the importance of having resourced services to respond and care for community members experiencing domestic and family violence. Council thanks the State Government, the Department of Communities and Justice, through Round 2 of the Domestic and Family Violence Innovation Fund for funding this project, as without this financial contribution and support to innovate with a focus on primary prevention, this project would not have been possible. Community awareness and culture change is an evolving process, but the takeaway message is that whilst it will take generations to prevent violence against women and their children, it’s important to start now.
theDVproject:2650 Project overview
theDVproject:2650 began with research conducted by Wagga Women’s Health Centre (WWHC), based on the premise that the problem cannot be solved unless it is understood. Although Wagga Wagga services have been working on domestic violence for decades and there is much national and general research on the issue, there was no local research. The research provided a baseline, something that would help to determine whether future interventions were effective or enabled change at a local level. In 2016, the WWHC undertook a Community Attitudes Survey in Wagga Wagga, which identified that many community members:
• Hold low support for gender equality. • Adhere to rigid or stereotypical gender roles. • Hold attitudes and beliefs that justify or excuse, trivialise or minimise domestic and family violence, and blame the victim.
Stakeholder research also conducted in 2016, found that all attempts to address DFV in Wagga Wagga focused on crisis response and tertiary intervention, with a lack of primary prevention programs and activities. In response to the 2016 Community Attitudes Survey findings and stakeholder research WWHC applied and received $1,259,075 funding in September 2018. This funding was received from the Department of Communities and Justice, through Round 2 of the Domestic and Family Violence Innovation Fund to conduct theDVproject:2650 over three years. WWHC then partnered with Council to auspice and lead the project.
Wagga Wagga has a domestic and family violence rate that is 29.4% higher than the NSW state average – a rate, which has increased 40 per cent in the last five years.
NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, 2016
Approach
theDVproject:2650 (project) was implemented as a whole of community primary prevention program aimed at changing the attitudes, social norms and structures that drive DFV; and increase support for gender equity. Recognising that violence against women is primarily driven by gender inequality and reinforced by a number of other factors, the project applied multiple prevention activities simultaneously across the City of Wagga Wagga of which was adapted and strengthened from the ‘Generating Equality & Respect’ (GEARs) program run in Victoria. Like GEARs, the project used multiple prevention approaches that spanned across multiple settings at the same time. This approach allowed both broad reach (through community-wide campaigns) and deep change (through organisational changes within Council and sector engagement) to saturate the Wagga Wagga community. The project was aimed to achieve a ripple effect within Council, key stakeholder groups and the wider community. This flow on would inspire other organisations to lead their own initiatives and to take part in a prevention activities within their respective organisations, community groups, social or private lives. Using evidence-based guidance as a foundation, programs and activities were focused in three key priority areas: organisational change, sector engagement and community campaigns. Each area focused on an educational approach outlining the drivers of DFV, promoting gender equity and respect for women, and challenging rigid gender roles and stereotypes.
Aim
The project objectives were to work in the primary prevention space to shift community attitudes and beliefs, recognising that rigid gender stereotypes and norms, and gender inequality are the main drivers of violence against women.
Objectives
• Create attitudinal change in the community. • Promote and normalise gender equity and respect in public and private life. • Increase support for gender equality. • Change attitudes and beliefs that create a violence-supportive environment.
If we do not focus on primary prevention, we will find ourselves always in the position of responding to tragedy.
The National Plan to Reduce Violence Against Women and their Children 2010-2022
Focus areas
The project has been focused on three pillars simultaneously. Each pillar’s project activities are described in more detail later in the report: The total funded budget included all staff and implementation costs.
Timeline
2016 June 2018 Sep-Oct 2018 15 Nov 2018 30 June 2020
WWHC undertook Community Attitudes Survey and stakeholder research on domestic violence in Wagga Wagga as part of phase one of theDVproject:2650. WWHC received funding from the Department of Communities and Justice, through Round 2 of the Domestic and Family Violence Innovation Fund. Partnership between WWHC and Council established.
Project team recruited. Project start.
3 - year project implementation. Project finish.
