‘Family violence is matter for all of us, especially local government’

By COUNCILLOR JUSTINE BROOKS

When I proposed that George Town – a small council even by Tasmanian standards – develop a domestic, family and sexual violence strategy, the responses were understandable: What would the financial implications be, and how could we afford to get involved in “non-core business”?

My reaction? How can we afford not to?

There is a misinformed belief that family
violence is the police’s responsibility to manage and address.

Community safety is everyone’s responsibility, not just the police – and by virtue of its status as the level of government closest to the community, councils are well placed not only to lead by example but to develop, facilitate and support family violence prevention strategies.

We at George Town are at the start of our journey
– and committed to working together to recognise and respond to family violence
and to facilitate/support actions that reduce its incidence and impacts.

GT councillors and senior management recently
attended a Mentors in Violence Prevention training program run by Women’s Legal
Services and Engender Equality.

Our Safety Committee has stipulated a priority
focus on family violence within the George Town Community Safety Plan, and
Council’s commitment to developing a family and sexual violence strategy is
included in the George Town Community Strategic Plan 2020-30.

We intend to use the Our Watch Prevention toolkit for local government to guide and assist us with developing the strategy.

While there is much to do, this tool will
benefit us all – and I am particularly impressed that it shares the work that
other councils are doing to reduce family violence within their municipal
areas.

We would encourage all councils to explore the
Our Watch Prevention toolkit website and to consider developing their own
family and sexual violence strategy for their community’s social and economic
wellbeing.

Our Watch, a national leader of primary
prevention of violence against women and their children, will present the Prevention
toolkit for local government at next month’s Local Roads & Transport
Congress in Wagga Wagga NSW.

Cr Brooks is CEO of the Northern Tasmania Sexual Assault Support Service.