Women need leaders who look like them

The message is clear: community attitudes about gender have a strong link to violence against women.

Minister for Women and the Prevention of Family Violence Fiona Richardson said recognising that connection would underpin the state’s first gender equality strategy.

Ms Richardson met with key organisations when she visited Warrnambool on Friday to seek public input into the strategy, including Emma House Domestic Violence Services, Victoria Police, Women’s Health and Wellbeing Barwon South West and local councils.

“Gender inequality and attitudes towards women drive the rates of violence towards women and girls,” she said.

“I’d like to give thanks to Rosie Batty, who woke a nation when she stood out and called it for what it is following the death of her son Luke. The drivers of those rates of violence against women and girls is not well understood by the community even though the research is in.”

Ms Richardson said societies with higher levels of gender equality experienced lower levels of violence.

The minister, the first person in such a role, has a strong personal impetus to get the strategy right: her experience of domestic violence as a child.

“There is a real blind spot when it comes to listening to victims’ voices and that is something we’re seeking to address,” she said.

“Women are particularly silenced through this process. Childhood victims are completely out of view and so giving them a voice, as an adult survivor of family violence, is something that I take very seriously and I’m very determined to deliver outcomes for children.”

Ms Richardson said regional and rural communities were well placed to improve gender equality due to their closeness.

“One of things we know about behavioural change is you’re more likely to change your behaviour if it comes from a trusted person in your circle of friends or family,” Ms Richardson said.

“Within regional and rural communities there tends to be a great many crossovers, with a sporting club being a place where you socialise and it might cross over with the Rotary Club or Lions Club. It means that your circle of friends and trusted friends is much closer to you and you’re all within the same community.”

Ms Richardson said it was also important to acknowledge rural communities had higher levels of violence against women and people faced more barriers.

“We don’t want to produce a gender equality strategy that is just a nice glossy brochure that is going to sit collecting dust somewhere on some departmental shelf,” she said.

“We want to see something that has agreed outcomes, measurable outcomes and agreed targets because that will hold people like me and governments in the future accountable.”