Released 28/04/2021
Today, responsible Ministers, all political parties, the directors-general of all relevant ACT Public Services Directorates, the Chief of Police and representatives from the non-government sector came together to make a clear commitment to taking action to prevent and respond to sexual assault in Canberra.
This is an issue that affects everyone in our community and that’s why it’s so important to be working closely across party lines and across government to address sexual assault and sexual violence in Canberra—the only jurisdiction in Australia to have made this shared commitment.
To make sure this work progresses with the right representation and the right governance in place, three working groups will be established to focus on prevention, response, and law reform.
The Prevention working group will focus on driving systemic, cultural change across the Canberra community, particularly targeted at schools, universities, CIT and workplaces.
The Response working group will focus on service provision and police response, informed by victim survivor experience of accessing support, advocacy and counselling.
The Law Reform working group will progress the parliamentary agreement commitment to reform consent laws and related sexual assault law reform.
These groups will report into an overarching Sexual Assault Response Steering Committee, made up of representatives from non-government organisations, unions, research bodies, the university sector and government representatives, who will set key priorities for future work and action by government.
The objective is to coordinate efforts across the community, the service sector, unions, and stakeholders to develop an effective, systemic, evidence-based responses to sexual assault in the ACT.
Women make up 86.6% of victims of sexual assault in the ACT and this needs an evidence-based approach that reflects the lived experience to understand that the nature of sexual assault has changed over time and what supports are currently in place across the system to support victim-survivors to prevent and respond to this serious issue.
It has been made even clearer today that everyone in the Assembly and in government is committed to doing the work required to address this issue, and to listen carefully to local experts to understand what the evidence shows us of what is already working well, where the gaps are and where we need to invest and build new programs of work.
*All quotes attributable to Deputy Chief Minister, Minister for Women and Minister for the Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence, Yvette Berry*
***
Quotes attributable to Heidi Yates, Victims of Crimes Commissioner at the ACT Human Rights Commission:
"I am pleased to take part in today's landmark event which brings together the ACT Government, the non-government sector and all sides of politics. Together, we have the opportunity to drive long-lasting change in the Canberra community to promote gender equality and prevent sexual violence.
"My team and I look forward to contributing to this important work which, led by the voices and experiences of victim survivors, will aim to ensure best practice responses to Canberrans affected by sexual violence."
- Statement ends -
Yvette Berry, MLA | Media Releases