Enough is Enough say protesters

HUNDREDS of people attended Bendigo’s March 4 Justice on Monday, 15 March in Rosalind Park’s piazza, rallying against sexual and gendered violence.

The event, organised by the Loddon Consortium for Gender Equality and Violence Prevention, featured a speech from the CEO of Centre for Non-Violence, sexual assault survivors, and a poem from Greater Bendigo mayor Cr Jennifer Alden.

Consortium member and CEO of Annie North Women’s Refuge Julie Oberin said she was thrilled with the turnout.

“We sold out of 700 raffle tickets to colour-code people so there’s more than 700 here,” she said.

“It was fantastic to see people from all walks of life that are motivated to join because they’re just sick and tired of seeing what’s going on.

“Hearing from the three victim survivors was just amazing. To have the voices there, they’re the ones that are brave enough to speak up. There’s so many more in the crowd that haven’t spoken up ever. Some have, some have had no justice whatsoever.”

Marches took place across Australia, after a national discussion on workplace culture in the nation’s parliament was sparked by rape allegations made from former Federal Government staffer Brittany Higgins.

Ms Higgins alleges she was raped in former defence minister Linda Reynold’s office two years ago.

“This is not the beginning, this has been happening for a long, long time and what’s happening in parliament just shows that this is deeply entrenched and the lack of leadership we’re getting from our leaders is just making it worse,” Ms Oberin said.

“I’ve never seen so much rage in women and this is not over yet.

“This has motivated so many women to think about where they’re putting their vote next.”

The Women’s March 4 Justice is calling for four immediate actions, including full independent investigations into all cases of, and more funding for, gendered violence.

It also calls for a Federal Gender Equality Act including an audit of parliamentary practices, and full implementations of 55 recommendations outlined in the report of the National Inquiry into Sexual Harassment in Australian Workplaces 2020.

CEO of Loddon Mallee Women’s Health Tricia Currie said the call for action is a preventative measure for future injustices.

“What you’re hearing in that call for action is to ensure that the victim-survivors are heard, and that justice is presented through the reform of justice system,” she said.

“You’re hearing the importance of ensuring there is work happening across the nation to promote gender equity and gender equality that will prevent the injustice that women experience.

“We can’t have gender equality unless we are actually restructuring and making sure that there is safety in our workplaces, not just Parliament House but everywhere in Australia.

“We’re really looking at the leadership in our country that sets and redefines and reinforces the culture that we wish to be part of. That’s lacking at the moment.”

Closing the march, local folk singer-songwriter Mariah McCarthy led the crowd in a rendition of Helen Reddy’s I Am Woman.

Over 50 marches took place across the country with attendees urging leaders to take action on gendered violence across workplaces in the country.