WESNET Activities

Family Law Reform

Policy Advice

Consultation on social trends

Conference papers and articles

Community Education

Leadership

2001

Advice to Government

Participation on Boards and Committees

Projects

Ancillary Activities

1992-2000

Highlights

2002

Family Law Reform

• WESNET facilitated the first national workshop on the National Family Law Reform Strategy (Sydney).

• (WESNET has the lead role in this reform strategy until legislative changes to the Family Law Act are achieved which better protect women and children who are experiencing domestic and family violence).

• Submission to Family Court Review on Family Violence Policy

• Policy advice to Australian Federation of Homelessness Organisations (AFHO) on a variety of issues such as the National Homelessness Strategy and the Centrelink breaching review.
• Participation in the selection process of the National Family Homelessness Pilots.
• policy advice to ACOSS and National Shelter.
• Commonwealth Advisory Committee on Homelessness.
• ACT Ministerial Advisory Council for Women

Consultation on social trends

Consultation with members on emerging issues and trends related to domestic and family violence.

Conferences Papers and Articles

• Participation in the National Violence Against Women Conference in Sydney (Feb)
• Presented a number of papers and Round Table at the Townsville International Women's Conference in July.
• Provided the Key Note Address at the National Symposium on Domestic Violence in Osaka, Japan, June.
• Key Note Address at the Women's Refuge Conference in Perth, October.
• Numerous articles in various journals and magazines
• Numerous conference papers at regional and state and territory conferences.

Community Education

• Distribution of the "What do you do when she tells you" pamphlet and local training at distribution points.
• Participation in local, regional, state/territory and national forums and other networks.

Participation on numerous Boards and Committees and local, regional, state/territory and national levels.

2001

Direct advice to Government:

WESNET leaders have acted as expert advisers on the following PADV projects:

• Community Awareness Project
• Domestic Violence National Competencies Project
• Older People and Domestic Violence Project
• Domestic Violence and Women with Disabilities Project.

Participation on boards and committees:

WESNET's leadership team members hold positions on the following:

• Commonwealth Advisory Committee on Homelessness
• SAAP Service Framework and Benchmark Document Reference Group
• National Data and Research Advisory Committee
• Australian Federation of Homeless Organisations (AFHO)
• NSW Women's Refuge Movement Working Party
• NSW Aboriginal Women’s Refuge Workers Support Group
• Mid North Coast Area Women’s Health Advisory Committee (NSW)
• Dolores Single Women’s Refuge Management Committee
• SAAP Performance Measurement Advisory Group
• SAAP/ Mental Health Reference Group (Facilitator)
• FaCS Family Development Committee
• Women's Emergency Services Implementation Committee
• SA Ministerial Forum for the Prevention of Domestic Violence
• SA Women's Emergency Services Coalition
• Non English Speaking Background Domestic Violence Action Group
• Greek Workers Forum (SA)
• Migrant Women's Lobby Group (SA)
• Coalition of Domestic Violence Action Groups (SA)
• Women's Services Unit (SA)
• Migrant Women's Lobby Group (SA)C
• Coalition of Domestic Violence Action Groups
• Tasmanian Women's Emergency Service Providers peak body
• Domestic Violence Action Coordinating Committee
• TASCOSS – Partnerships Project
• Regional Partnerships Against Homelessness Advisory group for SAAP
• Women's Shelter (Cairns)
• Sharehouse Youth Shelter (Cairns)
• The Women's Centre (Cairns)
• North Queensland Women's Legal Service
• Women's Refuge Group of WA (Chair)
• WA Ministerial State Housing Advisory Committee (Rental Services Sub-Committee)
• Kimberley Community Legal Centre (WA)
• Broome Lotteries House Inc. (WA)
• Kimberley Area Consultative Committee (WA)
• Broome Youth Coordinating Network including: 
  Youth Housing Working Party (WA);
  Cable Beach Primary School Council (WA); and
  Shire of Broome Council (WA)
• Kimberley Regional Domestic Violence Committee (WA)
• Kimberley Sexual Assault Information Service (WA)
• Women's Isolated and Remote Legal Service (WA)
• North West Women's Association (WA)
• SAAP Program Advisory Committee (ACT)
• ACT SAAP Forum
• ACT Ministerial Advisory Council for Women

Projects

• "Families and Friends": production of publication to encourage a positive response when women experiencing domestic and family violence disclose to family and friends.
• National PADV Evaluation Survey: e-mail questionnaire and focus groups to in conjunction with National Evaluators.

Ancillary activities

OSW National WomenSpeak Conference
As the national peak organisation addressing issues of domestic and family violence, WESNET took a lead role in providing community input to this conference stream. In addition to resourcing other organisations, WESNET participated in the following ways:

• Members of conference organising working groups
• Joint facilitator Team providing the Violence Against Women stream (Veronica Wensing, Ara Cresswell and Pauline Woodbridge).
• Joint facilitator in the Women's Health and well-being workshop (Julie Oberin as the domestic violence and women's health expert).

Seeking Solutions (Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Conference) Gold Coast QLD. 
Paper on the importance of a national peak for women's domestic and family violence services across Australia.

Select highlights during 1992-2000.

"Domestic Violence in Regional Australia", literature review of current research and knowledge for the Department of Transport and Regional Services, funded under PADV

"Home Safe Home: the Link Between Domestic and Family Violence and Women's Homelessness", research report funded under PADV (undertaken by Donna Chung et al, Uni of SA).

1998 - 2001

• Three year PADV consultancy to advise Taskforce on PADV I, including support to the meta-evaluation report on PADV.
• Women's Homelessness Forum – think tank with key advisers to draw up policy issues on non-DV-related women's homelessness
• Key Domestic Violence Stakeholder Conference in Melbourne with participants from all States and Territories
• Instrumental in achieving Centrelink Crisis Payment for women and children escaping domestic and family violence
• Foundation member of Australian Federation of Homelessness Organisations (AFHO), in partnership with Council for Homeless Persons Australia and National Youth Coalition for Housing, developed AFHO as a new organisation and provided coverage on women's homelessness issues
• Representations to Minister re reforms to domestic violence provisions under immigration law
• WESNET restructure to position organisation strongly and build supporting infrastructure

1997

• Women's Service Audit
• National Domestic Violence Conference in Sydney, extremely well attended and valued by Government
• Analysis re developing national model domestic violence laws

Extensive consultation with the domestic and family violence sector

"Raising the Roof on Women's Homelessness", research project, still being quoted

1994

WESNET incorporated after extensive sector consultation

• originally established to represent women’s services funded through the Supported Accommodation Assistance Program (SAAP), including women’s refuges, safe houses, women’s housing programs, domestic violence outreach, information and referral services
• initial purpose to improve and promote high quality service provision to women and women with children who are escaping domestic violence or who are homeless for some other reason
• provides a ‘national voice’, expert advice from practice and client perspectives to keep Federal and State/Territory governments well informed, a conduit between government and the sector to identify emerging trends and issues, keep the sector informed, provide an important avenue for women’s services to network across Australia

WESNET is first conceived in December 1992 during the national evaluation of the Supported Accommodation Assistance Program (SAAP), which identifies a lack of national representation of the needs of women and children utilising SAAP services

Regular and on-going submissions to Government on the impact of policies on women experiencing domestic and family violence, informed by experience and expertise from coalface member networks.