In February 2015, the Victorian Government established a Royal Commission into Family Violence to investigate and evaluate Victorian systems, strategies and programs that respond to family violence.
safe steps was actively involved with the Commission from an early stage, proactively sharing our unique statewide data and survivor-driven insights through submissions, testimonies and a historic Parliamentary address by safe steps CEO Annette Gillespie.
Since the findings of the Royal Commission were handed down in March 2016 – with an immediate commitment of implementation of all 227 recommendations from the Victorian Government – safe steps has been intimately involved with several recommended reforms, and continues to offer our expertise to ensure all systemic improvements are informed by survivor experiences and fully meet the needs of women and children impacted by family violence.
Click here to read safe steps’ Submission to the Royal Commission into Family Violence (June 2015)
Parliamentary addresses and expert witness testimony
In July 2015, safe steps CEO Annette Gillespie was invited to give a Witness Statement to the Royal Commission into Family Violence sharing her expert insights regarding the family violence sectors of Victoria and New Zealand, the intersection between family violence services and homelessness services, the refuge system, and how Victoria’s family violence sector could be improved. Read the full Witness Statement here.
In November 2015, safe steps CEO Annette Gillespie addressed a special sitting of the Victorian Parliament’s Legislative Assembly to talk about gender inequality, the epidemic of family violence, and the importance of frontline service providers in the family violence sector. It was one of the first times a lay person was invited to address the Victorian Parliament.
Associated taskforces and committees
- Victorian Government Social Services Taskforce
- Victorian Government Family Violence Steering Committee
- Victorian Government Family Violence Housing Assistance Implementation Taskforce
- Victorian Government Family Violence Industry Taskforce
- Victorian Government Child Protection Steering Committee