Question Time

Our Watch

The Hon. G.A. KANDELAARS (14:35): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for the Status of Women a question about a new national not-for-profit foundation, Our Watch.

Leave granted.

The Hon. G.A. KANDELAARS: VicHealth's National Community Attitudes towards Violence Against Women 2013 Survey (NCAS) of 17,500 Australians found that a significant proportion of Australians still excuse, trivialise or justify violence against women. In fact, recently I alluded to this survey in a speech I made in this house for White Ribbon. Can the minister please update the chamber on Our Watch's launch of their new branding and media campaign?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Employment, Higher Education and Skills, Minister for Science and Information Economy, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Business Services and Consumers) (14:36): I thank the honourable member for his most important question. I am extremely pleased to be able to update the chamber on a not-for-profit foundation that is being created to engage and raise awareness in the community on the prevention of violence against women and their children.

Our Watch, which was formerly the Foundation to Prevent Violence Against Women and Their Children, commenced operation in late July 2013. Our Watch, with its aim to drive a cultural and attitudinal change to prevent violence against women and their children from the ground up, will enhance South Australia's prevention efforts. Our Watch will:

promote best practice intervention strategies based on research;

undertake prevention and early intervention projects through communities, schools and media;

deliver information sessions, forums and conferences; and

run targeted social marketing and online campaigns.

Our Watch officially launched its new branding as well as its media campaign on 5 September, which was attended by the Premier, Jay Weatherill. This media campaign is aimed at making Australians aware of the effect of our attitudes to violence against women and promoting equal respect and positive treatment.

The video features many really well known and respected Australians, including comedian Charlie Pickering, former Governor-General Quentin Bryce, and author Tara Moss. The video can be watched on Our Watch's website, and I would encourage all members to have a look at the site and encourage others to have a look. It is an incredibly compelling piece of footage; a very moving piece of footage.

Utilising community engagement and advocacy to drive change, Our Watch will build community leadership and drive change across our institutions. A specific example of this is the Our Watch national media engagement project. The media can both reflect and challenge the society in which we are based and they can either reinforce or, on the other hand, undermine the attitudes and norms that contribute to violence against women. The representation of women and girls in popular culture, for instance in billboard and TV advertising, can powerfully influence the way the role of women is viewed, particularly in relation to men, but the media can also raise awareness of violence against women, its consequences and its underlying causes, and can challenge social attitudes.

Media capacity training for both future and practising journalists is an important initiative, and Our Watch will work to develop training curriculum materials for both university journalism students and also practising journalists. This two-pronged approach will embed and support a shift in newsroom cultures and practices around reporting on violence against women.

This government pledged South Australia's membership to Our Watch in August 2014, committing $79,000 per annum, indexed over the next four years. Our membership complements many other initiatives being embarked upon by Our Watch which are innovative and new, and I look forward to being able to update the chamber on those. Becoming a member of Our Watch is just another initiative that this government has introduced as part of its overall commitment to combating domestic violence. I am pleased to be part of a government that is committed to actions and initiatives that target domestic violence at all levels.