The Hit Network’s Dan & Christie, heard across Regional Victoria and Tasmania, continue to shine a light on gendered violence with a recent conversation with Jacquie O’Brien from Respect Victoria around a new three-year “saturation model” being rolled out in Ballarat.
Jacquie revealed that the program will embed prevention initiatives “across the entire city” to drive cultural change and reduce violence. Ballarat is still reeling after multiple tragic deaths of women in 2024. Christie too shared her own experience of domestic violence at the end of last year, calling out the Prime Minister’s response to gendered violence.
Jacquie: “The people of Ballarat are fed up and they want change. There were the three deaths last year [of women] and now the community has come together. They’ve said enough is enough and we want to do something about it. For the past year, we’ve been working with the community to develop a ‘saturation model.’ It saturates the entire city of Ballarat in programs, activities, and campaigns dedicated to preventing violence against women. We’re going to do it intensively over the next three years to see how quickly we can bring down rates of violence across the city.”
Christie: “Can you elaborate about what the service is, what is offered, and why the module is now going to be implemented specifically in Ballarat?”
Jacquie: “We’re different to 1800 RESPECT; they do the national helpline. For us, RESPECT Victoria is dedicated to preventing violence before it starts. So, we’re working with the City of Ballarat, because they’ve said, how do we stop this before it starts?”
Dan: “And that’s the hard part, isn’t it? Driving social change.”
Jacquie: “One of the key things is destigmatising the subject. It was really only Rosie Batty who gave us permission to talk about this in a mainstream way. Luke Batty was killed 11 years ago… it’s not that long ago. One of the key things that we’re working with the City of Ballarat on is that they want to have open and honest conversations about the problem. A lot of the times it’s swept under the carpet. So, things – like what you’re doing today – is really important. We have to talk about the magnitude of the problem in order for us to actually collect around it and do something.”
Christie: “You just mentioned the name Rosie Batty – she is a hero to me. I can’t see any genuine change, but I take my hat off to people – like you – that are doing their best. But even at a federal level of funding, intervention, and care factor… do you sometimes feel like you’re banging your head against a wall?”
Jacquie: “It’s not a linear journey. Do I feel overwhelmed and sad? Yes. With RESPECT Ballarat, it’s working with the community, and they take control of it: that’s what gives me hope. The issue is the problem is getting worse. We’ve seen over the last ten years what’s happened online; online misogyny is one of the most radicalising forces that we are dealing with in the world… radicalising boys and young men against women. It is making things worse but we know we have to take steps forward and we can not give up hopes. We have to hold our politicians to account to say: you have to help with this.”
Christie Hayes is off on maternity leave shortly as she and hubby Triple M’s Justin Coombes-Pearce look forward to the arrival of their first bub together.
You can go to www.respectvictoria.vic.gov.au for more information about Respect Ballarat and for support contact 1800 RESPECT