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
Contents
Featured
Seeking your involvement
Local Liquor Forum survey
SASVic is seeking to understand whether members are connected or would be interested in connecting with the local liquor forum in their area.
Complete the surveyVictims' Charter Act review
SASVic is preparing a submission to the Victims of Crime Commissioner about the Victims' Charter Act review. Please send any feedback to jacqueline.bell@sasvic.org.au by 19 December.
Read moreService Design & Improvement
Please send any questions you have about our work in this area to maria.papadontas@sasvic.org.au
MARAM 5-year review
The first MARAM 5-year evidence review finished in April 2024.
It engaged with 225 stakeholders from 81 organisations, including the SASVic Service Design and Improvement Team. The Review found that MARAM is considered a valuable resource and made 17 recommendations for improvement, all of which have been accepted by the Victorian Government.
How can we make our services more accessible to refugee women? Partnership with the Centre for Advancing Women
This year, SASVic had an important partnership with the Centre for Advancing Women, a community-based support organisation for refugee women in Victoria founded during the pandemic. We commissioned them to write us a report exploring how mainstream sexual assault services can increase accessibility for survivors from predominantly East and North African and Middle Eastern backgrounds. You can read the report on our website now, and we'll be officially launching and promoting it in the new year.
What to watch next year for Service Design & Improvement: With ECASA, SAFV Centre and SECASA, we'll be piloting a gay men's trauma information group entitled Not Alone.
New practice guides and resources in 2024
Neve - Women With Disabilities Australia
Transfemme Practice Guide - Zoe Belle Gender Collective
Engaging with victims and survivors of child sexual abuse: A practice guide for workers and organisations - the Office for Child Safety in partnership with NASASV and UNSW
Advocacy & evidence
Please send any questions you have about our work in this area to amy.webster@sasvic.org.au
The REACH project
This year, in collaboration with the University of Melbourne and Women with Disabilities Victoria, SASVic published a research project on what helps people to recover from sexual violence. The research emphasised how justice, advocacy, community recognition and non-traditional therapies can be a powerful part of someone's recovery. Survivors also told us that 'meaning-making' is often more important than using a specific type of therapy. They spoke about the importance of having a counsellor who can situate their personal experience of sexual violence within a social and political context.
You can read the report, knowledge translation and exchange report and practitioner guide on our webpage, as well as explore more of these topics at our event in February next year, Sexual Violence: The Right to Recovery. If you'd like to attend the event, please use the member discount code: MEMBERS
Child sexual abuse: what happened in 2024
2024 saw some significant political and legal developments for child sexual abuse in Victoria. In February, Premier Jacinta Allan gave a parliamentary apology to victim survivors of institutional abuse, and in March, the Board of Inquiry into historic child sexual abuse in Beaumaris Primary School and certain other schools released its report with nine recommendations. SASVic put together a 10-point plan for responding to the report, where we emphasised that what happened at Beaumaris should not be treated as an isolated, historic incident.
Later in the year, the Commissioner for Children and Young People's annual report showed that institutional sexual abuse very much remains an issue.
This year, we also developed two new resources for parents on recognising and responding to grooming and child sexual abuse.
What to watch next year: We're putting together an issues paper on child sexual exploitation, which should be published in early 2025.
The rise of a dangerous practice: non-fatal strangulation
In July, research showing more than half of young people had been strangled during sex made headlines. Colloquially known as "choking," non-fatal strangulation (both consensual and non-consensual) is becoming more common due to the influence of pornography, movies and social media.
There is no safe way to practice non-fatal strangulation, Dr Jo Ann Parkin told our symposium on technology-facilitated sexual violence in April. Dr Parkin, one of the most experienced forensic physicians in Victoria, also told our symposium how to spot the signs that someone may have been non-fatally strangled.
Womens Health NSW and Maree Crabbe raised awareness of the dangers in their campaigns, and Scarleteen developed a resource on safe alternatives.
Non-fatal strangulation in the context of family violence became a standalone offence in Victoria in October, with SASVic continuing to advocate for it to be expanded to cover sexual activity outside of family violence.
Our legal policy manager, Jacqueline Bell, presented SASVic's position at ShantiWorks' Non-fatal Domestic Violence Strangulation Symposium, where Dr Monica Campo, our senior research and knowledge translation officer, also presented on the links between pornography and NFS.
What to watch next year: We're putting together a fact sheet and paper about NFS, which should be ready to share in early 2025. We'll also continue advocating for Victoria's standalone family violence NFS offence to cover other sexual contexts.
Government inquiries relevant to our sector in 2024
A number of important inquiries and royal commissions handed down their final reports this year. While some were celebrated, others were criticised for not going far enough.
Notable inquiries include, in Victoria, the Beaumaris Inquiry, and, at the federal level, the government's response to the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability, the final report and response to the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide, and the final report and response to the Inquiry into Missing and Murdered First Nations Women and Children.
What to watch next year:
The Australia Law Reform Commission's inquiry into justice responses to sexual violence will hand its final report to the Attorney General in January.
The report from the Victorian Government's "inquiry into the mechanisms for capturing data on the profile and volume of family violence perpetrators in Victoria and barriers to achieving a full understanding of this cohort" will be handed down at the end of March. SASVic made a submission and gave evidence at a public hearing.
A possible inquiry into military sexual violence - this was one of the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide. The federal government has agreed to it, but we don't yet know when the inquiry will take place. The Royal Commission published a military sexual violence fact sheet, which you can read here.
Other research
Other notable research not done by SASVic but still of interest to our sector includes:
The Australian Institute of Criminology found one in five Australians have perpetrated sexual violence in their adult lives.
Jesuit Social Services' Man Box research found men who most strongly agree with rigid rules of masculinity are more likely to have perpetrated sexual violence.
The Australian Human Rights Institute at the University of New South Wales tracked how Australian universities are responding to campus sexual violence and found only 15 were publishing consolidated data on the disclosures of sexual violence they received.
What to watch next year:
Research on sexual violence against LGBTIQA+ Australians - this year, there have been several studies running on the topic, including one by Professor Michael Salter and one by Professor Adam Bourne.
The IVY study - research on young people's use of intimate partner violence.
Workforce development
Please send any questions you have about our work in this area to emily.roberts@sasvic.org.au
Overview of workforce development in 2024
We introduced new training opportunities this year, including feminist somatic practice with Susan Stark and Kendra Russell, and an introduction to clinical supervision that we piloted in December.
This year we also ran member forums to strengthen engagement in training, covering topics such as disability communication, working with victim survivors from a migrant or refugee background, and understanding eating disorders.
We conducted the first phase of the Future Workforce Project, interviewing members to map current positions and career pathways in the sector.
What to watch next year: We're looking to expand access to the clinical supervision training, we'll be delivering an exciting program of member forums, as well as continuing to deliver existing training.
New SASVic research into knowledge gaps and training needs of specialist child sexual abuse workforce
Through focus groups and surveys with SASVic members, Dr Amy Webster, Emily Roberts and Alice Hon found that many workers in our sector believe their university degrees did not leave them well prepared for working with survivors of child sexual abuse. The research, funded by the National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse, also found that foundational knowledge on feminist theories, child development and play therapy isn't sufficiently covered in pre-service qualifications. We also identified opportunities to build a thriving sector, such as including child sexual abuse specific training in the workforce orientation package, and working with universities to add more content about child sexual abuse into psychology and social work curricula.
Workforce capability framework
This year, we partnered with the Victorian Government to begin developing a separate workforce capability framework for the specialist sexual assault sector. This is one of the actions under the second Rolling Action Plan (RAP 2) for family and sexual violence services, released in August following consultation and feedback from the sector, including SASVic members.
Legal policy
Please send any questions you have about our work in this area to jacqueline.bell@sasvic.org.au
New laws and legislation in 2024
Victoria
Justice Legislation Amendment (Integrity, Defamation and Other Matters) Bill 2024 - this protects victim survivors from being subject to defamation proceedings for going to the police by extending the defence of absolute privilege to police reports.
Justice Legislation Amendment (Committals) Bill 2024 - this will ban cross examinations in committal hearings for sexual violence, family violence and stalking cases. The Bill is now with the Legislative Council. Read SASVic's explainer.
Australia-wide
Criminal Code Amendment (Deepfake Sexual Material) Bill 2024 - passed in August, this Bill criminalises the non-consensual sharing of sexual deepfakes. This was already illegal in Victoria. Read SASVic's submission (on page two).
The Australian Human Rights Commission Amendment (Costs Protection) Bill 2023 - passed in September, this Bill introduced a modified equal access costs model so people who take an employer to court for sexual harassment can recoup their legal costs if they're successful, but be protected from having to pay the legal costs of the employer if they're unsuccessful.
Crimes Amendment (Strengthening the Criminal Justice Response to Sexual Violence) Bill 2024 - passed in November, this gives certain victim survivors engaged in criminal proceedings at the federal level enhanced protections, such as pre-recording evidence if the court so orders. Read SASVic's submission.
Universities Accord (National Student Ombudsman) Bill 2024 - passed in November, this Bill creates a National Student Ombudsman role to investigate student complaints about the actions of higher education providers, including complaints about handling sexual violence on campus. The role will be taken up by Sarah Bendall in February 2025.
What to watch next year for legal policy: the Australian Law Reform Commission will publish the findings of its in January (see Advocacy and Evidence section above), and the Victims of Crime Commissioner will publish a review of Victoria's Victims' Charter in September. There's still time to make submissions to the latter (the due date is 17 February).
Catholic Church freed from vicarious liability
In one of the most disappointing news stories of the year, the Catholic Church in Victoria was effectively freed from vicarious liability for abuse committed by priests before 2018, following a High Court ruling on 13 November.
The High Court overturned a previous ruling that the Ballarat Diocese was legally responsible for historic child sexual abuse perpetrated by one of its priests, because priests, who are appointed under Cannon Law, don't have a formal employment contract with the Church.
We joined In Good Faith Foundation, Care Leavers Australasia Network and a number of victim survivors and advocates to write an open letter to Victorian Attorney-General Jaclyn Symes, encouraging her to amend legislation to ensure that churches cannot avoid liability for sexual abuse committed prior to 2018.
Our report with Fair Agenda on pre-recorded evidence
In November this year, SASVic and Fair Agenda published 'Improving the Court Experience: A model for pre-recording testimony in sexual assault cases'.
The report offers a comprehensive model for all states and territories across Australia to expand access to pre-recording testimony, allowing victim survivors to give their statements months - or even years - before a trial, in a setting that support their safety and wellbeing.
Pre-recording evidence is not new and expanding this to all victim survivors can reduce anticipatory anxiety, eliminate the stress of the courtroom environment, and in doing so, help improve the quality of the evidence.
Prevention
SASVic prevention overview in 2024
This year, our key points of focus included:
- The continuation of the Supporting Young People to Understand Affirmative Consent Program, funded by the Department of Family, Fairness and Housing. In collaboration with Safe + Equal and YACVic, we delivered capacity building activities, consultation and support to the 12 organisations funded to deliver these projects. The program has been extended for a further 12-months, and we are looking forward to continuing this work and sharing the learnings and insights with the sector.
- Meeting with members to map prevention and community education/engagement activities happening across the sector. A big thank you to everyone who participated in an interview! The responses have supported SASVic to better understand and articulate the sector’s unique strengths and challenges in delivering sexual violence prevention, and opportunities to explore how SASVic can best support members to do this work.
Rethinking and reviewing primary prevention
In April, a little paper published on substack sparked debate in our sector. In Rethinking Primary Prevention, journalist Jess Hill and Professor Michael Salter argued that funding for prevention in Australia focused too heavily on changing attitudes and social norms in the general population at the expense of more targeted and/or practical prevention measures.
Soon after, the Australian Government announced a rapid review into primary prevention, with Jess Hill on the panel.
The review made 21 recommendations, which were followed by a $4.7 billion funding package.
This year, the Victorian Goverment also announced it would start a four-year project to 'saturate' the Ballarat community with initiatives to prevent violence agains women. The project is being designed by Respect Victoria in consultation with the Ballarat community.
New prevention guides in 2024
Making the Links - Multicultural Centre for Women's Health
Connecting Communities - Safe and Equal
Communicating for Connection - Safe and Equal
Changing the Landscape - Our Watch
A life free from violence: Primary prevention as the key to eliminating violence against women and girls - Women Against Violence Europe
Other news
Operations changes in 2024
On 1 July, Jonathan Kaplan began as the inaugural independent Social Services Regulator. The new regulator replaces the Human Services Regulator and is responsible for regulating a new single set of standards for community organisations, including sexual assault services.
The Victims of Crime Assistance Tribunal was replaced by the Financial Assistance Scheme on 1 December. Under the new scheme, victim survivors no longer need to apply to a tribunal or face perpetrators to access financial assistance. There are also additional offences covered by the Financial Assistance Scheme, including up-skirting, grooming and image-based abuse.
The Department of Family, Fairness and Housing completed a review of the client incident management system (CIMS) and published an updated guide.
Follow SASVic for more updates.
Workforce training
Keep up to date with training and event opportunities for the sector by visiting the Workforce Training & Events page.
Bookings open now
If you are interested in registering for a training course, please speak with your manager. If you have any questions, please contact training@sasvic.org.au.
Supporting Victim Survivors through the Legal System ONLINE SERIES
Join experts across Victoria Police, the Office of Public Prosecutions and the legal profession to learn about the criminal justice process and supports for victim survivors of sexual assault. Free for SASVic members
Foundations in Sexual Violence 6-Day Short Course, with the UK Child and Women Abuse Studies Unit
Join Dr. Fiona Vera Gray from the London Metropolitan University, alongside a range of local guest speakers for a 6-day short course covering topics such as feminist theory and historical perspectives, sexual violence, child sexual abuse and intersectional framings. March 25 - 27 and April 1 - 3. Melbourne University College. Fees will apply.
Foundations in Feminist Somatics
**Bookings now open** Join Susan Stark and Kendra Russell for this full-day in-person training designed to provide practitioners with foundational skills in feminist somatics. This workshop provides an introduction, as well as practical tools and resources to support counsellors to increase their capacity and confidence in integrating somatic frameworks within 1-on-1 sessions with victim-survivors of sexual assault. Wednesday 19 March, 9.30am - 4.30pm, Second Story Studios.. Fees will apply.
Untouched: Sex and Intimacy
**Bookings now open** Join Susan Stark and Kendra Russell for this full-day in-person training which aims to build foundational skills and knowledge for workers seeking to increase their capacity and confidence in providing support to survivors of sexual abuse and violence, regarding issues related to sex, intimacy and pleasure. Two dates available: Thursday 20 March OR Friday 21 March, 9.30am - 4.30pm. Second Story Studios. Fees will apply.
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.