Council project focusses on gender equality

A new East Gippsland Shire Council project is working to promote gender equality to help stop family violence.

The ‘Factors of Change: becoming free from violence’ project is one of 35 initiatives funded under the Victorian Government’s Free from Violence Local Government Project program.

The funding will build the organisation’s capacity to influence places where people live, work, play and socialise to impact the drivers of gender-based violence.

Council received $90,000 under the grant program through the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, and is supported by the Municipal Association of Victoria throughout the project.

Victoria Police figures show of the state’s 79 local government areas, East Gippsland Shire has the fourth highest rate of family violence in Victoria.

Mayor Cr Natalie O’Connell said that figure was shocking.

“It means there are many people in our community who are being abused by someone close to them. Family violence is not acceptable and no one deserves to be treated that way,” Cr O’Connell said.

“The main drivers of family violence are gender inequality, discrimination and marginalisation.

"Council’s ‘Factors of Change: becoming free from violence’ project will support other work being done across the state to build a culture of respect for all Victorians.”

“Council has a role to play in improving the health and wellbeing of its residents. This can include either undertaking projects ourselves or in partnership with other agencies, but also advocating for the type of community our residents want in the future,” Cr O’Connell said.

The project will focus on council as a large workplace across the shire and use the ‘Our Watch’ Workplace Equality and Respect tools to address drivers of violence against women at work.

It will also identify actions that embed a strong culture of respect in the workplace and with organisations that we fund and work with as a result.

This approach has been developed from the National Framework ‘Change the story: A shared framework for the primary prevention of violence against women and their children in Australia’.

Long term, council aims to ensure that its workplace culture:

Evidence supports that respectful and equitable workplaces have high staff morale, performance and commitment, as well as reduced sick leave.

Further, they are more likely to attract and retain quality staff, who contribute diverse ideas and perspectives.

The project is funded for 12 months and will be completed by early December 2019.

Anyone in a family violence situation can contact Safe Steps for specialist support and information on 1800 015 188.

The service also provides information and assistance to people concerned someone they know is experiencing family violence.

A list of other services available in East Gippsland can be found on the Domestic Violence Resource Centre Victoria’s website.