Ararat Rural City Council Takes a Stand Against Violence

Ararat Rural City Council is proudly supporting the ‘Respect Women: Call it out’ campaign from Respect Victoria. The campaign runs as part of the global 16 days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, beginning on the 25th of November. 

“Ararat Rural City Council has been committed to standing against gender-based discrimination and violence towards women. We cannot as a community accept anything less,” said Ararat Rural City Council CEO, Dr Tim Harrison. 

“While a lot of fantastic work has been done to ensure that women have increased access to justice and support, these 16 days are about having meaningful discussions, understanding that there is still progress to be made.”

Respect Victoria has partnered with the Municipal Association of Victoria to provide Council with a grant of $2,500 to participate in this year’s campaign.

Council has used this funding to purchase orange t-shirts and hats that will promote the campaign and encourage conversations about calling out inappropriate behaviour. Displays featuring useful materials about how to support the16 Days of Activism will also be located at the Ararat Library, Fitness Centre and Council reception.

“This year’s campaign is ‘Respect is…’, which we will use to guide our discussions this year.

“As part of this campaign people are encouraged to think about how others that face discrimination are treated and to finish the statement.

“Examples could include: ‘Respect is... treating others the way you would like to be treated’ ‘Respect is... supporting and encouraging others’ ‘Respect is... calling out harmful comments in the workplace’

"We hope this will allow for these discussions to be had in the wider community, so we can build on our progress to ensure everybody has equal rights to safety and protection in their homes, workplaces and community.” 

Over the last year, Ararat Rural City Council has updated their policies on Equal Employment Opportunity; Workplace Antidiscrimination & Harassment; and Domestic and Family Violence to ensure that our culture follows what we display throughout this campaign.  

“Through previous years of this campaign, we had some great discussions. It has furthered our awareness of the issues many women face and helped us focus on promoting equal and respectful relationships between men and women. 

“It is especially important that we follow through with this to address the underlining causes of violence against women and embed our progress into how we treat all of those around us.” 

For more information, visit Ararat Rural City Council’s website and the Respect Victoria website. If you are experiencing or at risk of experiencing violence, help is available.  

You can access help 24/7 by calling Safe Steps on 1800 015 188 or by visiting safesteps.org.au. 

If you are worried your behaviour might be harming your partner or family members, call the Men’s Referral Service on 1300 766 491 to speak to a specialist counsellor.