On Tuesday 4th May, Sue Miller (Head of Operations) and Marama Kani (DFV Counsellor) met with Shannon Fentiman, the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Minister for Women and Minister for the Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence, in Longreach for Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Month.
The Attorney-General facilitated a round table with RAQ, QPS, Royal Flying Doctor Service, Education Queensland, RAPAD and the Longreach Regional Council to discuss concerns around domestic and family violence in Longreach and Queensland in general.
She also visited our Longreach venue, which provided further opportunity to explore key DFV issues and advocate for more funding to improve outcomes for vulnerable clients.
Sue reported they discussed state-wide opportunities and benefits around state-wide service delivery, with emphasis on:
- Raising community awareness
- Working more closely with first respondents
- Men’s perpetrator programs and post-group support
- Women’s advocacy roles
- Culturally safe support for First Nations clients
- Coercive control legislation and awareness
- Remote service delivery.
“She knew her stuff, so when we talked about the importance of practice, she got it. It wasn’t a ‘tick and flick’ meeting,” Sue reflected.
“When we discussed men’s behaviour change, she understood the systemic nature of DV. It felt like a two-way conversation. She was really engaged and genuinely interested in what we had to say. I walked away clicking my heels feeling like we’d really been heard.”
Well done to Sue and Marama for representing RAQ at this important event, and advocating to improve client outcomes in the domestic and family violence space.
