Corporate Interest in Preventing Family Violence Grows

As the fight against family violence has gained prominence in the community, leading to the landmark Royal Commission into Domestic Violence report, businesses also have taken a more active interest in their role.

Senior Executive for the program portfolio at White Ribbon Australia, Jennifer Mullen, said there was a “huge increase in engagement” in their workplace accreditation program, with more than 1,000 organisations currently interested in taking part.

“We definitely have seen a huge increase in interest with workplaces, and I think that’s really reflective of the momentum that’s occurring more broadly in society and an increased awareness, not just of the issue, but the fact that this is a workplace issue,” Mullen said.

“Workplaces have a role and responsibility to play in both addressing the issue within their workplace and the broader community at preventing that violence in the first place, to really create a cultural shift within the organisation.”

Another nine organisations have also recently passed the course, bringing the total number of accredited workplaces to 45.

Mullen said the public discourse and response from governments was pushing the issue onto the corporate agenda.

“We’ve seen the Victorian Royal Commission, the taskforce in Queensland and a whole range of other legislative changes that are occurring in different states and territories, and I think that is contributing to an increased awareness of the issue and priority setting for creating effective primary prevention and cultural change,” she said.

“We are seeing some phenomenal responses to the issue from flexible working arrangements through to strong leadership commitment, policy and practices being put in place, training and communication for managers and staff more broadly.”

She also said the breadth of organisations interested in becoming an accredited workplace was growing.

“There’s a real diversity in the organisations that we’re working with from across the public, private sectors, we work with small Not for Profits, government agencies through to large corporates and small business,” she said.