National Council to Reduce Violence Against Women and Children

The Australian Government today announced the members of its National Council to Reduce Violence
Against Women and Children.

The Council will be chaired by one of the founders of the Australian White Ribbon Day campaign and
international human rights advocate, Libby Lloyd AM, with support from deputy-chair, Heather Nancarrow, Director of the Queensland Centre for Domestic and Family Violence Research.

The nine other members of the Council are: Lisa Wilkinson, Pauline Woodbridge, Vanessa Swan, Dorinda Cox, Andrew O’Keefe, Melanie Heenan, Associate Professor Moira Carmody, Maria Dimopoulos and Rachel Kayrooz.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics reports that around one in three Australian women experience physical
violence and almost one in five experience sexual violence over their lifetime.

The purpose of the Council is to assist with the development and implementation the Government’s
National Plan to Reduce Violence Against Women and Children, which aims to reduce domestic violence and sexual assault.

Council members have been drawn from diverse professional and personal backgrounds, which will enable
them to provide expert advice and direction to assist the Government to lead the Plan.

Upcoming priorities include:

• Developing respectful relationship resources for Australian high school students to educate young
  Australians, particularly boys, about the impact of domestic violence and sexual assault;
• $1 million over four years to support White Ribbon Day education activities in rural and regional
  communities to promote culture-change that will reduce violence against women; and
• Toughening and harmonising state and territory domestic violence and sexual assault laws.

The Council will start work by undertaking a public consultation with a broad range of stakeholders including members of the public, victims and survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, and criminal justice sector professionals.

The Council will provide expert advice and direction to the Government to ensure evidence, best practice and innovation underpin the development of the Plan.