SASVic acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the traditional and ongoing custodians of the lands on which we live and work. We pay our respects to Elders past and present. We acknowledge that sovereignty has never been ceded and recognise First Nations peoples' right to self-determination and continuing connection to land, waters, community and culture.
SASVic also acknowledges victim survivors of sexual violence who we work for every day. We acknowledge the pervasive nature of sexual violence, and the impact that it has on survivors and their communities. We celebrate the powerful advocacy of survivors that is changing systems and policy.
SASVic Member Update
Hi everyone,
Yesterday I was fortunate to be able to go to the National Press Club, which describes itself as holding debates that 'shape Australia'.
In 2022, in blistering Press Club speeches, Grace Tame and Brittany Higgins held a blowtorch to the federal government on its handling of sexual violence.
Yesterday, mirroring that event, Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commissioner Micaela Cronin and Australian Law Reform Commissioner The Hon Justice Mordy Bromberg, soberly but insistently, called for action on sexual violence, described by Justice Bromberg as 'clearly out of control' and of 'endemic proportions'. Reflecting on the statistic that only 2% of women who say they have been sexually assaulted can access justice, Justice Bromberg observed that this means 98% of perpetrators 'face no consequences' in the legal system. The justice system, Justice Bromberg said, 'bears some responsibility' for this failure, and outlined significant recommendations from the ALRCs report to government.
Commissioner Cronin emphasised that the scope of the problem is much broader than the justice system, and highlighted the key role of frontline services, including specialist sexual assault services. Commissioner Cronin also underscored the destructive role of pornography.
While there is so much urgent action needed from our national leaders, this Press Club address is, in its way, a demonstration that we are not alone, that key institutional representatives share our sense of urgency and are pushing for action.
This time last year we were advocating hard for Commissioner Cronin to speak more and more explicitly about sexual violence - we were arguing that the 'S' for sexual violence was now in many government documents, including her title, but it was still be ignored. The Press Club address is one sign she's heard us, and is, in turn, using her voice in advocating to the federal government.
As always, there's lots below about more than needs to be done, as well as resources to support you and your clients in your work.
In solidarity,
Kathleen
CEO, SASVic
Contents
Featured
SASVic continues advocating for vicarious liability reform
SASVic joined a group of Victorian organisations, including Safe + Equal, No to Violence, legal organisations and others to support an open letter calling on the Victorian Government to act on vicarious liability so victim survivors of institutional abuse perpetrated before 2018 can get justice. The open letter was featured in a full page advertisement in the Herald Sun on Saturday 31 May with a QR directing readers to a petition.
If you haven't been keeping up with the High Court decision exempting institutions like the Catholic Church from liability for child abuse, we have information on our website that we've linked below.
Help us share member resources with the sector!
SASVic is working on a mechanism for sharing resources developed by members services with the rest of the sector.
As part of this process, any resources submitted by members for sharing will be reviewed by a small advisory panel who will check each resource for readability and clarity.
We are seeking EOI’s from anyone who is interested in being on this panel, noting that people from all levels across organisations are welcome to participate. The panel will only be checking to ensure resources make sense and are clear, they will not be checking or endorsing the content.
Please contact phoebe.turner-myatt@sasvic.org.au to submit your EOI, or if you have any questions.
New Campaigns from Respect Victoria, Our Watch and Teach Us Consent
Three new violence prevention campaigns have launched in recent weeks.
Respect Victoria's new masculinities campaign, What Kind of Man Do You Want To Be? invites Victorian men to challenge harmful forms of masculinity and reflect on what kind of man they want to be—for themselves, their partners, families and communities. Based on research from the Man Box reports, the campaign profiles the stories of real Victorians navigating the pressures of masculinity in a series of short videos and articles.
Respect Victoria is also holding a launch event on Friday 6 June at Kino Cinemas from 9:15am - 11am. It will include a first look at the campaign as well as a Q and A with the team behind and in front of the camera.
Our Watch's The Line campaign has launched its "Comfort Zone" initiative, which is designed to empower young people to recognise controlling behaviours and communicate healthy boundaries in relationships through an interactive online game.
With funding from the federal Department of Social Services, the Teach us Consent campaign has launched its Promoting Consent Initiative aimed at young people aged 16-25. The initiative includes over 150 assets, including video podcasts, Instagram reels, articles, posters and First Nations-specific resources. Recognising that young people trust and admire people they already follow online, the initiative has engaged 25 influential young Australians, from footy players to fashion vloggers, to participate in its podcasts and reels.
Seeking your involvement
Join our Workforce Development Committee
The Workforce Development Committee provides advice to SASVic and support the ongoing implementation and development of education and training projects.
Express your interestJoin our Member Resources Panel
SASVic is working on a mechanism for sharing resources developed by member services with the rest of the sector. If you'd like to be part of the panel that checks these resources for clarity and readability, email Phoebe at phoebe.turner-myatt@sasvic.org.au.
Service Design & Improvement
The eSafety Commissioner can help frontline workers respond to tech-facilitated abuse
Did you know frontline workers can call the eSafety Commisioner's technology-facilitated abuse helpline on 1800 710 385 to discuss specific client technology safety issues? eSafety's staff can:
- advise on online safety strategies to manage technology-facilitated abuse
- provide specific step-by-step instruction for devices, apps and online accounts, if deemed appropriate and safe by a frontline worker
- provide advice on how to report serious online abuse to eSafety’s complaint schemes to help people impacted by image-based abuse or adult cyber abuse.
The team is available Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm AEDT.
It's intended for exclusive use by frontline workers, so please don't share it with clients.
New non-fatal strangulation resource from Safe + Equal
Family violence peak body Safe + Equal has created a new non-fatal strangulation tip sheet to help family violence practitioners identify and effectively respond to this dangerous practice, also known colloquially as 'choking'. The tip sheet outlines the legal and health implications, and includes a medical referral template that practitioners can use. Much of the information will also be useful for the specialist sexual assault workforce.
If you missed it, SASVic also has an NFS fact sheet with key messages about NFS in the context of sex and sexual assault, which contains more information about its prevalence and what changes SASVic is advocating for.
Pleasure and consent resources from Women with Disabilities Victoria
Women with Disabilities Victoria has a suite of new resources for practitioners focused on increasing access to pleasure and consent for women and gender diverse people with disability. The new resources include a video series, conversation cards and training guide.
Advocacy & evidence
Please send any questions you have about our work in this area to amy.webster@sasvic.org.au
Help survivors have their say on Justice Navigators
It's time for survivors to have their say on our Justice Navigators Pilot!
There will be two consultation sessions for survivors in late June, one in person at the SASVic office in Melbourne, and one online. Survivors will receive a $150 voucher in recognition of their time and expertise.
In person consultation:
Date: Tuesday, 24 June
Time: 11:30am - 1:30pm
Address: Level 1, 351 Elizabeth St Melbourne
Lunch will be provided.
Online consultation:
Date: Thursday, 26 June
Time: 10am - 12pm
Location: Microsoft Teams.
Interested survivors are also welcome to email justice.navigators@sasvic.org.au to schedule a one-on-one phone call or suggest another way of providing their input.
To help us spread the word about these consultation sessions, please share our flyer linked below.
Do young Australians think tracking their partner is normal?
A concerning percentage of teenagers and young adults think controlling behaviours in relationships are normal, according to new research from Our Watch and the eSafety Commissioner.
Recent research by Our Watch found 29 per cent of 14-20-year-olds thought 'forcing physical touch out of love' was a healthy boundary. A further 31 per cent identified 'I have a right to know where my partner is most of the time' as a healthy relationship behaviour, and over half (54 per cent) believed 'if a guy wants to have sex with a girl, it's up to the girl to make it very clear she doesn't want to.'
This research was part of The Line's new 'Comfort Zone' campaign.
Research by the eSafety Commissioner found a similar trend of young people endorsing behaviours that could indicate tech-based coercive control. In their recent survey:
- nearly 1 in 5 of 18-24-year-olds (18.6 per cent) thought it was OK to track their partner whenever they wanted using location sharing apps
- about a third of 18-24-year-olds (30.4 per cent) believed constantly texting their partner to ask what they were doing and who they were with was usually a sign of care.
One in three Australian men have used intimate partner violence
Around one in three Australian men (35 per cent) report having used a form of intimate partner violence in their adult life, according to latest report of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Male Health. This is an increase from Wave 1 of the study in 2013-14, when 24 per cent reported having used IPV. The most common types reported in the latest survey were emotional abuse (32 per cent) and physical abuse (9 per cent).
Unfortunately, the researchers did not ask participants whether they'd perpetrated sexual abuse in the latest survey due to "concerns about possible mandatory reporting obligations". In 2013-14, two per cent of men reported perpetrating this type of IPV.
The research also shed light on the links between mental health, social connection and men's use of intimate partner violence. For example, men who reported moderate or severe symptoms of depression in the 2013 survey were 62 per cent more likely to have started using IPV by 2022. Having a loving father or father figure was a "protective factor" against using IPV, with men who strongly agreed they'd received affection from a father or father figure during childhood were48 per cent less likely to use IPV.
Opportunity to participate in the Elder Abuse and Cognitive Impairment Research Project
Researchers from Monash University want to hear from practitioners about their professional experiences working with people that have cognitive impairment and have experienced elder abuse as part of their Elder Abuse and Cognitive Impairment (EACI) Research Project, which hopes to better understand elder abuse and enhance prevention and response. If you'd like to participate, you can register to attend a 60-minute online focus group next week, or contact the researchers directly to organise a one-on-one interview.
Instagram's teen accounts aren't protecting young people online, research suggests
Instagram's new teen accounts don't live up to Meta's promises to protect teens from harmful content, according to new research by non-profit Accountable Tech.
Accountable Tech created five test teen accounts and had a group of 18-22-year-olds use them for an hour a day over a period of two weeks, logging instances of content they felt to be harmful, disturbing or obscene. All five accounts were algorithmically recommended sexualised content and other types of sensitive content from accounts they were not following, and four out of five were recommended body image and disordered eating content.
Launched in September 2024 for users under 18, the teen accounts are supposed to come with safety features like limited direct messaging with adults, defaulting to private profiles, time limit reminders and restrictions on sensitive content. All users under 18 in Australia are automatically put in teen accounts, with users under 16 requiring a parent's permission to change the settings.
Workforce development
Please send any questions you have about our work in this area to emily.roberts@sasvic.org.au
Training: Introduction to Clinical Supervision
SASVic is running a one-day introductory workshop on clinical supervision with a focus on practitioners that are currently or soon to be providing clinical supervision within the specialist sexual assault sector. There are just two places left, so book soon!
Date: Thursday 3 July
Time: 9:30am - 4:30pm
Location: ANMF Carson Conference Centre, 535 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne
EOI: Foundations in Sexual Violence in 2026
Expressions of Interest are open for the 2026 Foundations in Sexual Violence Short Course.
The course will run 17 - 19 March and 23 - 25 March 2026.
Join Professor Fiona Vera Gray, Deputy of The Child and Women Abuse Studies Unit (CWASU) at London Metropolitan University and expert speakers from Australia at our annual foundations short course. The course draws on content from CWASU's Women and Child Abuse Master's program and has been tailored for the Victorian context. The course covers a range of topics, including the impact of pornography, child sexual abuse, sexual harassment, prevention and the Victorian sexual violence legal framework.
Cost:
SASVic member price: $1175.00 (including GST)
Prevention
Please send any questions you have about our work in this area to jaeme.opie@sasvic.org.au
Centre Against Violence set to use community sport as a vehicle for prevention
SASVic member Centre Against Violence is working on a new project to engage local sporting clubs and players in sexual violence prevention across northeast Victoria. Part of La Trobe University's Partners in Prevention initiative, CAV's “Tackling Consent” project will work directly with local sporting clubs to equip them with tools, training, and support to drive positive cultural change from the grassroots up.
The Partners in Prevention initiative also has its own dedicated website now, where you can read policy and practice papers, as well as the project's theory of change framework.
Have your say on the HSB National Clinical Framework!
The Australian Centre for Child Protection is inviting stakeholders to have their say on elements of the draft National Clinical and Therapeutic Framework for responding to children and young people who have displayed concerning or harmful sexual behaviour. They want to hear about any potential challenges or barriers to the framework's implementation in every day practice.
You can give your feedback by attending one of 12 two-hour online consultation workshops to be held across June and July, or by filling out a survey which will be available after the workshops are completed. People who participate in the workshops may be eligible to receive a $200 Coles gift voucher, as long as they're not government employees.
Deputy Director of the Australian Centre for Child Protection, Amanda Paton, will also attend SASVic's July HSB Network meeting, where she will discuss the framework.
People in Ballarat invited to have their say on the Community Saturation Model
One year since the Ballarat Community Saturation Model was announced, a new survey is asking people in Ballarat to share their thoughts and ideas for what’s needed to prevent gendered violence. The survey builds on the previous 12 months of consultation with a working group of community members, local community leaders and advocates, services (including Ballarat CASA), schools, and sports clubs.
Legal policy
Please send any questions you have about our work in this area to jacqueline.bell@sasvic.org.au
Other news
Yoorrook Justice Commission's Walk for Truth
The Yoorrook Justice Commission's Walk for Truth from Portland to Parliament is under way. Beginning on Sunday 25 May on Gunditjmara Country at Portland (where colonisation began), the Walk will finish at Parliament House in Melbourne (where we can transform the future) on Wednesday 18 June. You can see the dates of each leg of the walk and sign up to participate on the Yoorrook Justice Commission's website.
Follow SASVic for more updates.
Professional Development
Keep up to date with training and event opportunities for the sector by visiting the SASVic Training Page
Conferences
ANROWS National Conference
Join ANROWS to listen, learn and act, and gather with a shared purpose: to centre children and young people at the heart of the work to end domestic, family and sexual violence.
Date: 14 - 16 May
Location: 14 & 15 May online, 16 May in Sydney
Australian Association of Family Therapy National Conference
Join the Australian Association of Family Therapy for two inspirational days for the 2025 Healing and Reconnecting Annual Conference.
When: Thursday 3rd July and Friday 4th July, 2025
Where: Pullman Melbourne Albert Park
65 Queens Road, Albert Park VIC 3004
Cost: Tickets range from $240 - $950
Sector calendar
Below are some of the meetings happening across the sector. Please contact the meeting chair to find out more, including how you can join networks or comittees related to your area of work and interests.
WD Standing Committee
The Workforce Development Standing Committee provides advice to SASVic and supports the ongoing implementation and development of education and training projects, including but not limited to the workforce development program.
Kayti Murphy
catherine.murphy@sasvic.org.au
Resources and links
SASVic and member details
SASVic organisational structure with staff names and positions
Specialist Sexual Assault Sector Map
Here is a map that helps people find their local specialist sexual assault service.
National Association of Services Against Sexual Violence
SASVic is a member of the National Association of Services Against Sexual Assault (NASASV).
Acronyms
Here is a list of acronyms. Please let us know if you've discovered any more we should add.
FVSV Knowledge Hub
The Family Violence Sexual Violence Knowledge on is a one-stop shop for practitioners, program managers, policymakers and funders to access the latest research, resources, case studies, webinars and training opportunities.