More support is on the way for those surviving violence in Noosa, with a game-changing announcement from Bendigo Bank set to close out Domestic and Family Violence Prevention (DFVP) Month.
According to Coast2Bay Housing (C2B) and Noosa Senior Sergeant Anthony Cowan, that help is in demand.
On average, one woman a week is murdered by her current or former partner in Australia.
Last week, that statistic was sadly known to be a 27-year-old Morayfield woman, who was stabbed with a knife at Caboolture on 17 May.
Detectives charged a 29-year-old man with murder (domestic violence), along with contravention of a domestic violence order.
You sit and think, how is this happening? Where is the family helping them escape? Why aren’t their friends paying attention and stepping in?
Well, the majority of them have no clue.
Just over the weekend I sat with one of my closest childhood friends at the beach with a coffee in the morning to catch up. I told her about my current boy drama and we laughed.
She said she also had some tea to spill.
Except hers wasn’t funny. With tears falling from her eyes, she sat and explained the trauma of physical and emotional abuse she endured from her ex. A black eye and a bruised body. She said she had never seen red in anyone’s eyes like she did in his.
I watched her point to the parts of her body that he beat as she recalled taking photos when you could finally see evidence of the abuse.
She told me how during that time she had visited this exact beach, looked out to sea and thought about walking into the water to end it all.
She wiped the tears with her beach towel and questioned whether she needed therapy to process it.
We were just kids building sandcastles and playing in the surf and now we’re talking about domestic violence. All of a sudden my boy drama wasn’t a drama at all. It was insignificant.
It was at that moment I realised how easy it was for it to happen behind closed doors. And just how hard it was for someone to talk about the pain they endured.
I have a small group of close friends, and she wasn’t the first to tell me she was experiencing abuse from a partner. Take a look at your circle, ask them how they’re really doing, and pay attention to the signs.
The Queensland Police Service (QPS) has launched a five-part podcast series to put this crisis under the spotlight.
Behind the Doors of Domestic Violence, presented by QPS is designed to raise community awareness, empower victim-survivors and bystanders alike and ultimately change the behaviours of those who use abusive and unhealthy tactics within their relationships.
Acting Inspector Rowena Hardiker from the Domestic, Family Violence and Vulnerable Persons Command said the podcast would shed light on the realities of unsafe or controlling relationships and raise awareness of the services available.
“By listening to and learning from the stories and insights shared in this podcast, we can work towards creating a safer Queensland and a country free of domestic and family violence,” she said.
Hosted by Dean Cooper, a violence prevention specialist from the Griffith University MATE Bystander program, who said, “We don’t know what we don’t know, when we know different, we can start to do better in how we hold perpetrators accountable and show support to those surviving domestic and family violence.”
Noosa Senior Sergeant Anthony Cowan said domestic and family violence was not tolerated in Noosa.
“We’re currently sitting at the exact same number of DV orders and breaches as last year,“ he said.
“We’ve applied for 40 domestic violence orders so far this year. And I think that’s good compared to the rest of the state.“
Earlier this year Snr Sgt Cowan told Noosa Today he had some initiatives to bring to Noosa from his last position in Mackay to deal with DV.
One of his plans was to introduce technology to enable statements to be taken on the scene of the incident in order to speed up the investigation.
“We’ve introduced the new technology and we’ve also changed our procedures so they’re dealt with quicker,“ he said.
Coast2Bay Housing Group chief executive officer Andrew Elvin said their recent communication with the local Noosa domestic violence liaison officer revealed, anecdotally, that 40 per cent of their workload was DFV-related.
“In addition, The Salvation Army (TSA) has advised that they are receiving a large number of calls from women who have been displaced from Noosa and simply cannot afford to come back,“ Mr Elvin said.
“Similarly, TSA has outreach clients who have experienced DFV, the perpetrator has been ousted from the family home and they cannot afford their rent due to the prices in Noosa and competition for properties.“
Coast2Bay Housing (C2B) has over 30 years’ experience in providing affordable housing solutions for individuals and families in the LGAs of Moreton Bay, Sunshine Coast, Noosa and Gympie.
C2B has successfully managed the RISE program since 2017 in partnership with ZONTA and The Salvation Army.
RISE stands for Restart In a Safe Environment – the program provides safe, secure homes for families impacted by DFV.
In 2022, C2B developed the RISE Foundation as a charitable entity to enable fundraising and grant applications for further stages of the RISE program.
The RISE program currently includes eight purpose-built new homes on the Sunshine Coast, with a further two nearing completion.
“Our vision is to expand RISE to 20 dwellings over the next three years, including in the Noosa region,“ Mr Elvin said.
“C2B has worked closely with Noosa Council for some time on plans to expand RISE into the region, but to date, have not unlocked an immediate project opportunity.
“We remain committed to a project to address the urgent need for housing and are now seeking support from other organisations to make this a reality.“
Mr Elvin said there was a substantial need for temporary accommodation for victims escaping DFV across the region.
“C2B is currently operating and delivering additional temporary accommodation for women and children escaping DFV on the Sunshine Coast through our RISE program and in partnership with the Commonwealth Government through its ‘Safe Places’ program,“ he said.
“Our support partner for this project, The Salvation Army (TSA) has advised that there is a huge daily demand for DFV accommodation.
“In Noosa, the ground-breaking SHINE project, Safe Houses in Noosa Everyday, operated by TSA is the only DFV crisis accommodation service in Noosa, with the next closest some distance away at Gympie, Maroochydore/Nambour.
“To date C2B’s RISE program has provided four homes as safe follow-on accommodation for families who have transitioned directly from SHINE.
“SHINE housing is currently massively oversubscribed and more follow-on accommodation in the local Noosa area is needed to assist in meeting the demand so that SHINE can continue to provide those essential housing supports for those in DFV crisis.
“Over the next three years, C2B are committed to doubling RISE from 10 to 20 dwellings. To achieve this ambitious goal, we need support from our partner organisations, including Councils, businesses and other community organisations.“
On 31 May at 8am outside the Community Bank Tewantin-Noosa, SCCFSL chair Trish Radge will make a game-changing announcement to close out DFV Prevention Month. If you would like to attend, RSVP 0492 970 507.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic and family violence, you should report it to police.
Support and counselling is available from the following agencies:
DVConnect Womensline: 1800 811 811
DVConnect Mensline: 1800 600 636
1800 RESPECT: 1800 737 732
Behind the Doors of Domestic Violence, is available for streaming on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more information on RISE visit rise2foundation.com.au
