Submissions
2023 - 24 Submissions
Victorian Government’s inquiry on Restricting NDAs in workplace sexual harassment cases. (September, 2024)
Inquiry into the mechanisms for capturing data on the profile and volume of family violence perpetrators. (May, 2024)
Final Family Violence Reform Rolling Action Plan 2024-2026 (February, 2024)
Draft Action Plan addressing gender-based violence in higher education (January, 2024)
Commonwealth Government’s COVID-19 response inquiry (January, 2024)
Inquiry into historic child sexual abuse in Beaumaris Primary School and certain other government schools (November, 2023)
National Children’s Commissioner’s project regarding youth justice and child wellbeing reform (June, 2023)
SASVic submission to the National Strategy to Achieve Gender Equality (April, 2023)
National Inquiry into current and proposed sexual consent laws (March, 2023)
Exposure Draft of the Family law Amendment Bill 2023 (Exposure Draft, 2023)
Submission on enhancing civil protections and remedies for forced marriage
October 2024
SASVic welcomed the opportunity to provide a submission to the consultation on Enhancing Civil Protections and Remedies for Forced Marriage. Sexual violence, including reproductive coercion, can be a precursor to and/or consequence of forced marriage. Among our recommendations is that specialist sexual assault services must be included when considering ways to improve recognition of and responses to forced marriage, including in frontline worker training and community education. We also refer to the submissions from Women’s Legal Service Victoria and InTouch regarding civil protections and remedies, and particularly their calls to prioritise investing in practical supports for victim survivors of forced marriage.
Submission on non-disclosure agreements in workplace sexual harassment cases
September 2024
SASVic made a submission to the Victorian Government's inquiry on Restricting NDAs in workplace sexual harassment cases. The consultation asked stakeholders to comment on a legislative model developed in Ireland (the "Irish Bill"). We commend the Victorian Government for progressing this reform and we support the following measures: the prohibition on using NDAs in workplace sexual harassment cases except where a complainant requests such; the enforceability of NDAs being dependent on a complainant being offered independent legal advice; complainants maintaining the right to waive the NDA aspects of their settlement agreement.
SASVic submission to the Inquiry into the mechanisms for capturing data on the profile and volume of family violence perpetrators
May 2024
Sexual Assault Services Victoria (SASVic) submitted to the Inquiry into the mechanisms for capturing data on the profile and volume of family violence (FV) perpetrators in Victoria and barriers to achieving a full understanding of this cohort. We identify key opportunities to capture data on FV perpetrators who also use sexual violence, and issues related to sexual violence perpetration outside the FV context. Recommendations include collecting attitudinal data from key workforces that interact with perpetrators, funding the modernisation of data systems for services within our sector and beyond and resourcing SASVic members to collect quantitative and qualitative data with a purpose-built client management system.
SASVic was subsequently invited to be a witness at the public hearing. You can read the transcript now.
SASVic submission to inform development of the final Family Violence Reform Rolling Action Plan 2024-2026 (Rolling Action Plan)
February 2024
SASVic made a submission to inform development of the final Family Violence (Rolling Action Plan). We identified key opportunities to strengthen the Rolling Action Plan, particularly regarding sexual violence within and outside of family violence. We reiterated the imperative for a dedicated sexual violence strategy. Additional recommendations include that the Rolling Action Plan should invest in specialist sexual assault and harmful sexual behaviour services (SSAS), in partnership with other relevant experts, to deliver primary prevention activities that address the impact of pornography, consent (on and offline) and image-based sexual abuse, and increased resourcing to enable all victim survivors who are incarcerated in Victoria to access counselling and advocacy from a SSAS.
SASVic and the Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare joint submission on the Draft Action Plan addressing gender-based violence in higher education
January 2024
SASVic and the Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare (the Centre or CFECFW) welcome the opportunity to provide a joint submission to the Australian Government Department of Education on the draft action plan addressing gender-based violence (GBV) in higher education. Recommendations include resourcing specialist sexual assault services for counsellor advocates in higher education providers, co-designing perpetrator accountability measures with victim survivors, students, and staff, and co-designing reporting pathways and resources with relevant peak bodies and victim survivors to ensure accessibility.
SASVic submission to the National Inquiry into COVID-19 Response
January 2024
SASVic welcomes the opportunity to provide a brief submission to the independent panel on the Commonwealth Government COVID-19 Response Inquiry (the Inquiry). Our recommendations include that the Inquiry recommendations are also applied to improve response measures in future crises, and to implement recommendations from the Future proofing safety report in future crises.
SASVic submission to Board of Inquiry into historical child sexual abuse in Beaumaris Primary School and certain other government schools
November 2023
Sexual Assault Services Victoria (SASVic) welcomes the opportunity to provide a submission to the Inquiry into historical child sexual abuse in Beaumaris Primary School and certain other government schools and the opportunity to provide a submission. Our recommendations include: a new long-term funding model that enables the full scope of work that specialist sexual assault services undertake to support victim survivor recovery; resourcing SASVic to lead a collaborative project with support services in the mental health, alcohol and drug and related sectors to develop a best-practice evidence-based collaborative model to respond to adult victim survivors of institutional child sexual abuse; and resourcing specialist sexual assault service clinical leads for older adults.
Read SASVic’s submission here.
SASVic submission to the National Children’s Commissioner’s project regarding youth justice and child wellbeing reform
June 2023
Sexual Assault Services Victoria (SASVic) welcomes the opportunity to provide a submission to the National Children’s Commissioner’s project to explore opportunities for youth justice and child wellbeing reform across Australia to reduce children’s involvement in crime. Our recommendations include: integrating specialist sexual assault services as part of youth justice and related systems response to sexual violence, and addressing and implementing the Disability Royal Commission recommendations regarding care criminalisation of children with disability.
SASVic submission to the National Strategy to Achieve Gender Equality
April 2023
SASVic welcomes the opportunity to provide a brief submission informing the development of the first National Strategy to Achieve Gender Equality (the Strategy). We emphasise the importance of a gendered intersectional lens that recognises the social context of inequalities and spectrum of sexual violence that women, children and young people and members of diverse communities experience that the Strategy should reflect.
SASVic submission to the National Inquiry into current and proposed sexual consent laws
March 2023
SASVic welcomes the opportunity to provide a submission to the Inquiry into current and proposed sexual consent laws in Australia. SASVic strongly supports the introduction of harmonised affirmative consent laws across Australia, noting that to have the most impact, a whole-of-community approach should be taken to legislative reform.
Read SASVic’s submission here.
SASVic was subsequently invited to speak at the public hearing. Read the transcript here.
SASVic submission to the Exposure Draft of the Family Law Amendment Bill 2023 (Exposure Draft)
February 2023
SASVic welcomes the opportunity to provide a brief submission to the Attorney-General’s Department on the Exposure Draft. We welcome the prioritising of children and adult victim survivors safety in the family law system in the Exposure Draft. In addition to endorsing the submission by Women’s Legal Services Australia, SASVic makes additional recommendations that reflect our role and focus as the peak for sexual violence and harmful sexual behaviours in Victoria.
SASVic submission archive (2020 - 2022)
-
October 2022
In the lead up to the 2022 Victorian State Election, specialist family violence and sexual assault services providers came together with local political candidates in key electoral districts across the state to discuss issues and priorities for their communities. Hosted by peak bodies Safe and Equal, Sexual Assault Services Victoria and No to Violence, the Vote Against Violence tour was an opportunity for sector experts to highlight the impacts of increasing demand, workforce challenges, housing shortages and inequitable access to justice and legal support on victim survivors of family violence and sexual assault.
-
March 2022
SASVic welcomes the opportunity to respond to the Respect@Work - Options to progress further legislative recommendations Consultation Paper. We draw attention to the importance of reflecting the recommendations in the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC)’s Respect@Work: Sexual Harassment National Inquiry Report in the Sex Discrimination and Fair Work (Respect at Work) Amendment Act 2021. As a proud member of the Power2Prevent Coalition, we call on the Australian Government to implement all remaining recommendations of the Respect@Work Report in full and without further delay. We also identify priorities to address and prevent gendered violence and sexual harassment in Australian workplaces, hold perpetrators accountable, and support victim-survivors to recover and receive redress.
-
February 2022
SASVic welcomes the opportunity to provide feedback on the draft National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children. SASVic expresses the urgent need for increased investment in specialist workforce. Our submission also highlights the need for clear actions, targets and accountability, alignment with evidence-based prevention frameworks, prevention of sexual violence, and strong consistency in law and justice responses.
-
September 2021
SASVic welcomes the opportunity to provide a submission to the Victorian Parliament Legal and Social Issues Committee’s inquiry into Victoria’s criminal justice system. We make a number of recommendations, including to: achieve better recognition of the impacts of trauma on people with disabilities and indigenous people, particularly women, in the criminal justice system; provide therapeutic responses to victim survivors in prison; prevent young people in government care being exposed to sexual violence.
-
July 2021
SASVic welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the development of the next National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and Children (National Plan). Our recommendations include that the National Plan: incorporate a comprehensive definition of sexual abuse that covers the continuum of sexual violence, resource data collection, and invest in specialist sexual assault services to provide specialist respectful relationships education.
-
December 2020
SASVic welcomes the Victorian Law Reform Commission review to Improving the Response of the Justice System to Sexual Offences. We emphasise the need for community awareness, attitudinal change and increased access to supports. Further, cultural change within the justice system requires a commitment to building a shared understanding of sexual assault and harm. SASVic believes this inquiry offers an opportunity for a ‘re-boot’ of the current system and of Victoria’s response to sexual offences. Consolidating data and evidence is necessary to assess impacts, manage responses and measure outcomes across all jurisdictions to inform development of a Statewide Sexual Assault Strategy for Victoria.