City ready for complex work over gender violence

BALLARAT has the infrastructure and determination, key stakeholders said, to address gender-based violence.

On Wednesday 25 February, the State Government announced new measures as part of the Respect Ballarat program’s next stage.

One million dollars in grants will go to 11 separate community initiatives to continue Ballarat-based work.

From 2 March, another community competitive grant program of $3.76 million will open for local groups.

The Alexis Family Violence Response, which embeds family violence specialists within Victoria Police, will be expanded to Ballarat.

The grant recipients, such as Ballarat Community Health, announced last week will work with diverse communities within the city to develop community-based approaches against gendered violence and harmful attitudes towards women and girls.

Respect Victoria chief executive officer Helen Bolton said last week was an important milestone.

She said her organisation has been engaging the city’s communities about their perspectives with gendered violence to establish a profile of target groups and settings like workplaces and sporting clubs for initiatives.

The Respect Ballarat model was started because of a community call to action after three local women were killed in 2024.

The CEO said work had to be done to change social contexts where attitudes towards sexist jokes and gender violence had been excused.

“We know this is really complex and difficult work,” she said. “But the Ballarat community is ready for that.

“You have great infrastructure here around organisations that understand and deliver primary prevention and early intervention.”

Sean Duffy, chief executive officer of grant recipient Ballarat Community Health, said they would co-design an initiative with the community groups the organisation engaged with.

“What we’re going in there is starting a conversation and building relationships and having these important conversations that allow us to influence, and influence early, influence upstream, as early as we possibly can,” he said.

Minister for Prevention of Family Violence Ingrid Stitt said the measures supported the community’s efforts to take action against gendered violence.

“At the end of the day, I know the whole Ballarat community, in a moment of grief at the loss of three much-loved women in the community in 2024, are harnessing that energy and that determination to stamp out violence against women,” the minister said.

She said the programs were an innovative approach the community was calling for, and the Respect Ballarat model was an “important game changer”.

More information about the grant recipients is at ballaratfoundation.org.au/respect-ballarat-grants-program.