Partnership to end violence

A NATION-first partnership agreement between the Tasmanian Government and Our Watch has been signed in an “important step” towards eliminating family violence.

The announcement came after the Mercury yesterday revealed each of the State Government departments spent between $7000 and $30,000 to acquire an anti-violence workplace accreditation from the now-defunct White Ribbon charity.

Our Watch is a primary prevention organisation, established to drive nationwide change in the culture, behaviours and power imbalances that lead to violence against women and children.

Premier Will Hodgman said the new agreement would include the appointment of a primary prevention officer, who will work across government and non-government services.

He said the recruitment process was under way and $380,000 had been budgeted for the position over three years.

“What this officer will do is ensure all those community organisations working on eliminating family violence are doing so equipped with the expertise, evidence, programs and initiatives that help prevent family violence occurring,” Mr Hodgman said.

“This is principally about identifying problem behaviours and changing the negative attitudes that do still exist in our community that are the root cause of family violence.

“Our Watch is a nation leader and this will again place Tasmania at the front of the pack in terms of what we’re doing to address family violence.”

Our Watch chair Natasha Stott Despoja labelled domestic violence a “national emergency” and praised the Government on its efforts to prevent and reduce its impacts.

Ms Stott Despoja said police were called to attend a domestic violence incident 657 times a day nationally.

“The sad news is that every week in Australia on average a woman dies violently — 45 women have been killed this year,” she said.

“We can all play a role in preventing violence against women and children, but it requires a collaborative and integrated approach, which includes governments at all levels.

“We look forward to working and learning together through this national first partnership model.”

Mr Hodgman said government agencies would continue to “utilise the intellectual property” gained through the White Ribbon Workplace Accreditation Program.