Public lecture to address ways to change the culture of domestic violence

New ways to address the unacceptable levels of family violence in our community will be the focus of a public lecture in Geelong today.

The Peter Quail Oration is hosted by a strategic alliance between Deakin University and the Department of Health and Human Services. The speakers at this year’s oration will be the Hon Fiona Richardson, Minister for the Prevention of Family Violence and Minister for Women, and Professor Andrew Day, a forensic psychologist and specialist in family violence prevention with Deakin’s School of Psychology.

Ms Richardson will provide an update on Australia’s first Royal Commission into Family Violence and discuss policy initiatives to address the unacceptable levels of family violence in our community.  While Professor Day will discuss the importance and challenges of behaviour change programs to prevent the harmful effects of violent victimisation.

“Family violence is a violation of human rights and sadly, one in three Australian women experience physical or sexual violence from an intimate partner in their lifetime,” Ms Richardson said.

“Community discussion about the prevalence of family violence, and how to address, is crucial in reducing the statistics and keeping women and children safe.”

Professor Day said behaviour change programs are one component of the many different services that are required to address what is a significant social issue,

“The rationale for intervening with known perpetrators is based on an understanding that violence in intimate relationships often persists over time and that interventions that have even a modest impact on behaviour can, therefore, have significant value,” he said.

The Peter Quail Oration, ‘Changing the culture of domestic violence: new ways forward to address the unacceptable levels of family violence in our community’, will be held on Thursday, 5 November from 4—5.30pm in the Geelong Clinical School Lecture Theatre (behind Kitchener House), 285 Ryrie Street, Geelong.

About the Deakin/DHHS Strategic Alliance and the Peter Quail Oration

The Deakin/DHHS Strategic Alliance, a collaboration between Deakin’s Faculty of Health and Human Services, was established in 1998 to enhance the health and social wellbeing of people living in the Barwon South-Western Region. Over the years it has proved to be a valuable vehicle to facilitate collaboration and joint project work activity between member organisations.

Each year the Alliance hosts the Peter Quail Oration in memory of Peter Quail, who was a key driver of the Alliance in the then Department of Human Services and a champion of health and social wellbeing promotion within the region. The aim of the Oration is to engage and inform the community and health service professionals on topical and relevant regional health and wellbeing issues.