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2.  State-wide crisis line providing 24 hour counselling, support and information for women and their children  Referral to refuges and outreach services  Information and support to family and friends  Emergency interim accommodation  Accommodation options for women and their children  Media Advocacy Project

3. Violence against women - Key determinants  Gender Inequality  An adherence to rigidly defined gender roles expressed institutionally, culturally, organisationally and individually (VicHealth 2007).  Community attitudes that condone violence as a means of settling disputes, that support (or provide weak sanctions against) violence against women, and that support ‘the privacy of the Family’ (VicHealth 2007).

4.  Providing women’s perspective and lived experience  Women as advocates, rather than ‘victims’ – Giving voice to women’s strength  Challenging stereotypes by providing diverse voices  Passionate, authentic and engaging  Making statistics real: Real women, real experience research (not just research findings or statistics) – Connecting with people to change attitudes  Local or comparative (matching up speakers with audience)

5.  Project funded in 2007 by Vichealth  Initial phase: Recruited 14 women  Now in phase III - Funding extended until 2014 2012  WD administers a central pool of approximately 40 advocates  The Eastern Media Advocacy Project (pilot)  Training pilot

8. Speechwriting and public speaking Media techniques Practical exercises

9.  Family violence is only about black eyes and broken bones  Family violence is a private family matter – it’s none of our business  No one can help  He only hurts her when he is drunk, he is stressed, he is depressed etc  He is still a good Dad.  It’s only because he loves her, he is jealous, he want to know where she is.  She must have asked for it, she pushes his buttons, it was her fault.  It can’t be that bad or she would just leave.

13. Key messages:  “Everyone can help to prevent violence against women by interrupting or intervening into sexist or violent attitudes and behaviours”  “We can build a community that is free from violence”