It's a new government!

At the time of writing, Anthony Albanese has been signed in as the new Prime Minister and the Australian Labor Party is poised to assume a majority government.

The most notable aspect of the election results is the significant support for the Australian Greens and the independent ‘Teals’.  It is likely no coincidence that the Greens was the only major party to have a comprehensive gender policy, and that gender equality was an express key platform of the Teals. Almost all LNP-held electorates that changed hands are now represented by women.

These fundamental changes to the political landscape will be subject to continued analysis and scrutiny over the coming weeks, and will almost certainly lead to a changed way in which gender equality will be prioritised and addressed.  In a special post-election section in this fortnight’s newsletter we provide links to some of this analysis.

In another notable development, Katy Gallager has been signed in as Minister for Finance, Minister for Women and the Attorney-General. While we understand this is an interim arrangement and are not yet sure if she will retain the women’s ministry it is heartening to see it already elevated in importance. We hope this indicates a permanent place for the portfolio on the front-bench and in Cabinet.

AWAVA extends our congratulations and appreciation to those successful candidates who campaigned on the basis of improving equality, as well as the many wonderful advocates who have worked tirelessly to amplify the voices of women, children and non-binary people.

2022 Post-Election Policy Analysis

• In his first press conference as Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese reiterated his priorities including the full implementation of [email protected], and affordable child care. He also confirmed his commitment to constitutional recognition of First Nations people, speaking with both the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags displayed alongside the Australian flag in the background.

• The Guardian further highlights Eight priorities for Anthony Albanese’s new Labor government.

• Camilla Nelson for The Conversation writes Women stormed the 2022 election in numbers too big to ignore: what has Labor pledged on gender?

• Pia Rowe from BroadAgenda writes When women vote, reason trumps rage.

• Clare Wright in The Guardian writes History tells us women can turn elections: the Liberals should have listened.

• The Guardian also examines Voice, treaty, truth: what does Labor’s commitment to Uluru Statement from the Heart mean? 

• Madonna King for Crikey says Women — teal, red or green — are this election’s central story.

• For the ABC, Annabel Crabb writes The lost women, noting that Scott Morrison can’t say he wasn’t warned that women were angry.

• Holly Wainwright writes Women's election roar was an insistence to be heard. Don't stop listening now.

• Women’s Agenda introduces the women elected to the House of Representatives for the first time and the Asian-Australian women who have started to shift the face of parliament.

• In the Sydney Morning Herald, Jacqueline Maley writes Hear me roar: how the female vote swung the election.

Around the Country

• The Fair Work Commission Full Bench has expressed its provisional view to provide a modern award entitlement to 10 days’ paid family and domestic violence leave. Prior to the election, Labor also promised to legislate 10 days paid domestic and family violence leave as a workplace entitlement.

• The Tasmania Law Reform Institute (TLRI) has released its final report and recommendations on law reforms to address the risks and harms caused by sexual orientation and gender identity conversion practices.

• In an open letter to parliamentarians and politicians, the National Advocacy Group on Women on Temporary Visas Experiencing Violence details four key areas of reform needed to better support women on temporary visas experiencing violence, including in relation to the migration system, eligibility for social security and Medicare, funding for specialist services, and access to social housing.

• Hundreds of free birth certificates will be made available to vulnerable people in NSW, including people experiencing economic disadvantage, Aboriginal people and survivors of domestic and family violence.

• The Queensland Minister for Children announced that more families are accessing support services with the latest child safety data showing Family and Child Connect had received 31,342 enquiries in the year ending 31 December 2021 and more than 9,000 families had been helped by either Intensive Family Support or Family Wellbeing Services.

• In a speech to the Samuel Griffith Society 32nd Conference, President of the Australian Human Rights Commission, Emeritus Professor Rosalind Croucher, writes Whither Human Rights and Freedoms Protections in Australia? Rights and Freedoms in the Age of COVID-19.

Around the World

• Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Director of UN Women, Sima Bahous, remarks Solidarity and networked, multilateral action for the exercise of women’s full human rights at the SheDecides+5 Conference in Brussels
  

• The Republican governor of Arkansas, Asa Hutchinson, has admitted that an anti-abortion trigger law that he signed on to the books would lead to “heartbreaking circumstances” if Roe v Wade is overturned, in which girls as young as 11 who became pregnant through rape or incest would be forced to give birth.

• The repeal of federally protected abortion rights would result in an increase in violence experienced by Indigenous women, girls and all those who birth, predicted the director of one of the leading research institutes on Indigenous and Alaska Native people across the US.

• Amnesty International has called on the US government to fully restore tribal jurisdiction over crimes on Native lands in the face of staggeringly high rates of sexual violence against Native women.

• US lawmakers are looking to pass a proposal aimed at protecting domestic violence survivors from gun violence by ensuring that abusers who have temporary restraining orders cannot purchase or possess firearms. In addition, it would close boyfriend and stalking loopholes and create a grant program to help implement policies to keep firearms out of the hands of domestic abusers.

• In Kathmandu, Women lawmakers call for removing statute of limitations on rape cases.

• In the UK, an all-party group has been set up to address the need to protect Jewish women from faith-based domestic abuse in the form of Get refusal. 

• In Pakistan calls are being made for integrated violence prevention programmes to reduce the risk of women contracting HIV.

• South African Gender activists call for harsh sentences for gender-based violence perpetrators.

• Civil society groups demonstrated in the Zócalo plaza of Mexico City against the rising numbers of disappearances and femicides throughout the country in recent months, and demanded authorities take action.

• Americas Quarterly writes Why Gender Violence in Mexico Persists—And How to Stop It.

• In Ireland, a group of experts comprising charities and women’s safety organisations say that the current provisions to address online violence against women and girls in the Online Safety Bill are inadequate, and have drafted a code of practice they say would help focus on the prevention of violence rather than on content takedown and help sites address the underlying causes of the issue.

• A petition has been launched in Canada to support a bill to amend the Criminal Code’s provisions on interim release to allow for the use of electronic monitoring devices and court-mandated therapy sessions for alleged abusers. 

• A draft bill has been approved in Spain to allow girls as young as 16 to access abortion without parental consent, and to remove the mandatory three-day period of reflection.

• UNFPA Somalia note that Amidst the worst drought crisis experienced in a decade, the need for GBV services is greater than ever.

• The Global Network of Women’s Shelters (GNWS) has launched Lila.help, a directory about direct services for women and girls fleeing from violence, listing accurate, vetted, and safe helplines and shelters for every country and territory in the world. GNWS wants every organisation that provides trustworthy direct services to people experiencing gender-based violence included in their directory. Organisations can fill in their information via this link. 

Research and Publications

• The Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre has released its independent economic analysis of the cost of providing paid family and domestic violence leave to workers on the modern award wage.

• A paper by UN Women - Tackling violence against women and girls in the context of climate change - provides a brief overview of the evidence of the impact of climate change on VAWG and makes recommendations across both the climate change and ending VAWG sectors.

• A survey of people aged 50 and over in NSW, was conducted by COTA NSW in August and September 2021 and received 6390 valid responses. Notable findings included the high level of support for Indigenous recognition and for cultural diversity, along with increased action to address climate change and the environment.

• A UNHRC paper analyses the Protection of LGBTIQ+ people in the context of the response in Ukraine.

• Project Davina has released a report In Plain Sight: A Rapid Review of the International Literature and a National Estimate of the Prevalence of Women Who Use Substances and Experience Domestic Violence in Ireland.

• Nancy Krieger, professor of social epidemiology at Harvard, reflects on Racism, sexism, social class, and health—30 years ago and today.

• Mind the Gap 2: Seeking Safe and Sustainable Solutions for Girls’ Education in Crises, by the Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies, presents the state of education and training for girls and women affected by conflict and crisis, including refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs).

• Mahlangu, P., Gibbs, A., Shai, N. et al. Impact of COVID-19 lockdown and link to women and children’s experiences of violence in the home in South Africa. BMC Public Health 22, 1029 (2022).

• Sewalem, J., Molla, A. Mental distress and associated factors among women who experienced gender based violence and attending court in South Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study. BMC Women's Health 22, 187 (2022).

• Shakya, H.B., Cislaghi, B., Fleming, P. et al. Associations of attitudes and social norms with experiences of intimate partner violence among married adolescents and their husbands in rural Niger: a dyadic cross-sectional study. BMC Women's Health 22, 180 (2022).

• Yılmaz Karaman, İ, Akı, Z., Çanakçı, M., Altınöz, A., & Özakın, E. (2022). Violence Against Women During COVID-19 Pandemic: A Comparative Study from a Turkish Emergency Department. Prehospital and Disaster Medicine, 1-16.

• AWAVA, WESNET, NATSIWA and WWDA have launched the ‘Report on Young Women and Non-Binary People’s Experiences of Gender-Based Violence across Australia‘. The report is available now on AWAVA’s website here.
  
  

Resources and Guidelines

• Our Watch and Senior Rights Victoria have produced a new resource for practitioners seeking to build their knowledge and practice on preventing violence against older women.
  

• The Victorian Women’s Trust has launched Here She Is! is a directory of woman and gender-diverse professionals for use by media, recruiters, event and conference organisers.

• Endgbv.africa is a new resource that was created to monitor African countries’ responses to gender-based violence (GBV). The resource is meant to identify gaps in laws and policy and once that has been done, advocate for change. The resource currently has five countries: South Africa, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe.

• Elder abuse awareness bookmarks and posters have been translated into 15 languages by the Australian Human Rights Commission to increase community awareness of the National Elder Abuse phone line. Additional languages will be rolled out this year.

• Violence against women increases at times of disaster. Gender and Disaster Australia have compiled some useful resources to ensure first responders consider violence against women as they set up and staff evacuation centres and work in communities impacted by disaster. Find the interactive webpage here.

Media

• Lucia Osborne-Crowley writes for the Victorian Women’s Trust on the importance of trauma-informed care.

• Martha Gill writes in The Guardian #MeToo is over if we don’t listen to ‘imperfect victims’ like Amber Heard.

• In Murder, rape and abuse in Asia’s factories: the true price of fast fashion, The Guardian examines the epidemic of violence facing workers making clothes for the UK high street, and asks if a groundbreaking agreement will improve their lot.

• ‘The lady without legs or arms’: how an artist shattered Victorian ideas about disability looks at the achievements of Sarah Biffin, once a fairground attraction, and now recognised in a new exhibition.

• Feminism India writes Domestic Violence: When Sanctity Of Family Is Prioritised Over Dignity Of Survivors.

• Oxford University Press provides an extract from chapter seven, “From Hysteria to Justice,” of Every 90 Seconds: Our Common Cause Ending Violence Against Women by Anne P. DePrince.

• The Guardian observes ‘It’s harmful and humiliating’: how Amber Heard’s haters undermine the victims of domestic violence.

• The Trap is a harm prevention podcast, created by the Dugdale Trust for Women & Girls and the Victorian Women’s Trust. It is a series about love, abuse and power, hosted by Jess Hill, looking deeply at abuse that happens in private, and in public, searching the world for answers to the questions that continue to confound us. 

• The webinar launching the AWAVA, WESNET, NATSIWA and WWDA Report on Young Women and Non-Binary People’s Experiences of Gender-Based Violence across Australia can be watched here.

• AWAVA’s own Karen Bentley, CEO of Women’s Services Network (WESNET), features in episode 3 of There’s No Place Like Home - FF new podcast that puts survivors of family violence at the centre of the story. Learn more by heading to the podcast website.

Calls for Submissions, Surveys, and EOIs

• Have you or a client have experienced tech-facilitated abuse or coercive control? Has a partner abused you using text messages or Facebook? Have they tracked you using GPS tracking apps? If you or a client of yours have experienced this type of abuse and sought safety and justice support, researchers from Monash, RMIT and WESNET would like to speak to you. For more information, please contact [email protected]
• If you work in family violence or other related services, such as legal and family services in Victoria, the Australian Institute of Family Studies invites you to share your experiences of how your client service needs changed and how your services adapted to meet their needs during COVID-19. Take the survey: Future-proofing Safety Project Information Sheet (aifs.gov.au).
• The Monash Gender and Family Violence Prevention Centre Centre has launched a study on LGBTIQ+ family violence victim-survivors' experiences with Victoria's intervention order system. The focus of this study is on access to justice and safety outcomes. To complete the survey, click this link. Please feel free to share the survey widely.

• The International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is inviting manuscripts for a special issue ‘Engaging Men and Boys in the Prevention of Violence Against Women and Girls’. Deadline for submission is 31 July 2022.

Events

• The 2022 Monash Gender and Family Violence Prevention Centre Seminar Series is presenting Imperfect Victims: Criminalized Survivors and the Promise of Abolition Feminism by Professor Leigh Goodmark on 1 Jun 2022, 9am to 10am (AEST). Details and registration are here.
• Our Watch, in partnership with the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) and State and Territory Local Government Associations, is presenting a one-hour webinar about supporting the prevention of violence against women for local government staff on Wednesday 8 June.

• The Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) 2022 Conference on 15-17 June 2022 in Melbourne will imagine a future where putting families at the centre drives the work of researchers, policy-makers and service providers.

• The Third Sector’s 5th Annual National Indigenous Social and Emotional Wellbeing Forum is being held virtually and in person in Darwin on 21-24 June 2022, and will provide attendees with practical tools and strategies to tackle the high rate of Indigenous suicide and learn how to appropriately integrate culture into practice.

• No to Violence Conference 2022: Shifting the Burden is on at the Adelaide Convention Centre from 1 to 4 August 2022.

Training and Further Education

• WESNET is offering Technology Safety Online Training for SADFV professionals, for dates and training descriptions please visit https://techsafety.org.au/training

• ACON has recently launched three online training modules: The Trans Vitality: Trans Affirming Practice eLearning; Trans and Gender Diverse Sexual Health ELearning, in collaboration with ASHM; and Recognise and Respond, in collaboration with the Black Dog Institute.

• The RACGP Family Violence GP Education Program assists GPs in developing skills and knowledge to respond to domestic and family violence. The program is open to all Victorian GPs and practice staff and offers two training pathway options – beginner and intermediate/advanced.
  
• The Council of Europe has launched a new, free online course on Violence Against Women for Law Enforcement Professionals.
  

• RMIT’s Graduate Certificate in Domestic and Family Violence provides an exciting opportunity for current and future family violence practitioners, with subjects in gendered violence, responding to family violence, primary prevention of violence against women and specialist case coordination and management. The program is offered online and part-time to support work/life/study balance. Applications can be made online here, or for more information, visit the Program Overview.

• Harmony Alliance has developed a free online course on 'Financial Literacy for Women' available in English, Arabic, Dari, Simplified Chinese, Vietnamese, Nepalese, Punjabi, Hazaragi, Thai, Karen, and Korean.

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*Articles published do not necessarily reflect the views of AWAVA or WESNET and are included as items of interest only.

If you would like to submit a particularly topical piece of news, research, report, etc. please e-mail to [email protected]. We cannot guarantee this will be included.