Overview of Local Government / Community Partnerships
The project worked with four local government/community partnerships. In order to be involved, each local partnership agreed to: (1) designate one ‘government’ and one ‘community’ leader to the project, who will undergo additional training; (2) assist in an audit of current violence prevention activities and capacities; (3) hold at least one day-long local consultative workshop within a year on how best to support integrated violence prevention that involves at least six community organization members and at least six government (council officers, police, locally based state government) members; (4) help develop baseline indicators for violence prevention; and (5) undergo an external evaluation of this initiative one year after the consultative workshop.
City of Maribyrnong
The
City of Maribyrnong is located immediately west of the City of Melbourne. It's population of 60,000 people in 31 square kilometres makes Maribyrnong the most densely populated municipality in the state. It is one of the most diverse parts of Metropolitan Melbourne, with 40% of the population born overseas. The largest new migrant community is from Vietnam, but Maribyrnong is also experiencing an influx of newcomers from the Horn of Africa. Braybrook, one of the 9 suburbs in this municipality, is ranked lowest in the state on a series of socio-economic indicators, while other suburbs, such as Footscray and Yarraville, are rapidly gentrifying.
Maribyrnong has a community safety taskforce, and family violence has been brought up as a priority issue in public forums of this taskforce. There is now a family violence subcommittee, led by
Women's Health West, the community partner for this project. Women's Health West, which is active throughout the Western region of Metropolitan Melbourne, has
excellent publications and research on family violence.
The City of Maribyrnong has published a
Preventing Violence Against Women Action Plan.
City of Casey
The
City of Casey is approximately 35 kilometres south east of Melbourne's central business district. Located in the south eastern suburban growth corridor of Metropolitan Melbourne, Casey over the past five years has been Victoria's fastest growing municipality. The current population of approximately 225,000 is growing at the rate of 50 households a week, making Casey the most populous municipality in the state. While some of the suburb is zoned for residential and commercial development, the City also includes farms and coastal villages. There are significant pockets of poverty and socio-economic disadvantage in Casey, and although home ownership is high, the rate of affordability stress (the proportion of income spent on rent or mortgage) is the highest in the state.
The City of Casey has a Healthy Families Taskforce, a partnership of community agencies and local government that work together on issues of family breakdown and contributing causes. Age and gender related injury such as family violence has been brought up as a priority issue in this group and through public forums. There is a Safer Casey Partnership, of various government department representatives including Victoria Police and non government agencies that have a focus on community safety – both in the public and private domain, and crime prevention. The City of Casey also co-hosts the Southern Family Violence Network: consisting of family violence service provider agencies that have an action and local prevention focus.
The
Community Safety Strategy 2006-2011 addresses family violence.
The City of Casey, Casey Cardinia Health Services, and Casey Pastors Network has developed the
Promoting Peace in Families Project, which aims to disseminate ‘no to violence’ public education messages through faith communities.
City of Greater Bendigo
The
City of Greater Bendigo, one of Victoria's regional cities, is located approximately 150 kilometres northwest of central Melbourne. It's population of 86,000 includes both the regional centre and a number of small towns. Unlike Maribyrnong and Casey, the population is overwhelmingly Australian born, with half of the 6% born overseas coming from the United Kingdom or New Zealand. Like many regional cities, Bendigo is seeing an influx of older residents and a net loss of people in their 20s. Some parts of Bendigo are amongst the most disadvantaged in the state, while others have high incomes and home-ownership rates.
Bendigo’s
Safe Community Forum Inc is a partnership between approximately 26 local agencies, including the state government, police, and local businesses. Its
Strategic Direction 2007-2009 which did not previously address violence, now does as a result of the GLOVE project. The Chairperson of the Bendigo Safe Community Forum during this period of change has been Carolyn Wallace who was until recently was Manager of the
Loddon Campaspe Region Centre Against Sexual Assault.
Loddon Shire
The
Shire of Loddon, located immediately northwest of Bendigo (approximately 175 kilometres northwest of central Melbourne), covers 6700 kilometres, making it one of the largest municipalities by area in Victoria. Its population of 9,000 is scattered in over 50 settlements, most of which have less than 100 people. At present, there is no safe community forum or action plan, but there is interest in developing such a plan as part of the Municipal Public Health Plan and Primary Care Partnership strategy for the region. The
Loddon Campaspe Region Centre Against Sexual Assault, whose region encompasses Loddon Shire, is the community partner in this locality as well.