Event and Ticketing Details
Dates & Times
Thursday 02 July
6:15 PM - 7:15 PM
After her eleven-year-old son, Luke, was killed by his father in February 2014, Rosie Batty became one of Australia’s most visible advocates for victims of family violence. Her advocacy has led to a royal commission into family violence in Victoria; in January 2015, she was named Australian of the Year.
Batty has succeeded in placing family violence squarely at the forefront of the national conversation. But, as she wrote in a recent article for The Saturday Paper: ‘…policy is what we need. Changing community awareness and being passionate are great things, but the problem also requires nitty-gritty stuff.’
We’ll investigate what this real, practical change in Australia’s relationship to family violence might look like – and grapple with questions of policy – with Human Rights Law Centre executive director Hugh de Kretser, sex discrimination commissioner Elizabeth Broderick, and co-chair of the National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples and the National Justice Coalition, Kirstie Parker.
Alongside Rosie Batty and host Joanna Fletcher, they’ll explore what a proper and nuanced response to the complex issue of family violence might entail, and weigh up the roles of law enforcement, government, communities and the legal profession.
Presented in partnership with Human Rights Law Centre and Women's Legal Service Victoria.
Featuring
Rosie Batty
Rosie Batty became an outspoken crusader against family violence following the murder of her son, Luke, in February 2014.
Through her personal tragedy she stepped into a leadership role to advocate for victims impacted by family violence. She was named Australian of the Year in January 2015 and made the most of her position of influence by advocating for systemic reform and gender equality.
She received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of the Sunshine Coast for her contribution to raising national awareness and action concerning family violence, and an Order of Australia in the 2019 Queen’s birthday honour’s list.
Rosie is also a Board Director for the Royal Women’s Hospital, Patron of both the Australian Childhood Foundation and Doncare Community Services, and Co-Chair of the White Ribbon Advisory Council.
View ProfileHugh de Kretser
Hugh de Kretser is the Executive Director of the Human Rights Law Centre. He has worked on family violence, sexual assault and criminal justice issues for over a decade across his current role and previously as Executive Officer of the Victorian Federation of Community Legal Centres (2007–2013) and Manager of the Brimbank Melton Community Legal Centre (2004–2007).
Hugh is a Director of the Victorian Sentencing Advisory Council and was a Commissioner of the Victorian Law Reform Commission from 2008–2012. He is on the Governance Committee for knowmore, the national service providing legal help for people navigating the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, and is a White Ribbon Ambassador.
Elizabeth Broderick
Elizabeth Broderick is the current Sex Discrimination Commissioner and leader of the Commission’s Review into the Treatment of Women in the Australian Defence Force. Broderick is Global Co-Chair of the Women’s Empowerment Principles Leadership Group, a member of the World Bank’s Advisory Council on Gender and Development, and an Ambassador for the Foundation to Prevent Violence Against Women and their Children.
Kirstie Parker
Kirstie Parker is a Yuwallarai Aboriginal woman from north-western NSW. Parker is an elected Co-Chair of the National Congress for Australia’s First Peoples, co-chairs the national Close the Gap Steering Committee and the National Justice Coalition, and is a Director of Reconciliation Australia.
Joanna Fletcher
Joanna Fletcher has been working on issues arising from relationship breakdown and violence against women for over 14 years. Prior to commencing as CEO of Women’s Legal Service Victoria (WLSV) in 2010, Fletcher managed WLSV’s policy and advocacy work. Fletcher is a member of the Ministerial Advisory Roundtable for the prevention of Family Violence.