Over 120 people from the Caboolture and Pine Rivers regions turned out to a special Family & Domestic Violence Roundtable meeting in Narangba today.
The meeting, hosted by local MPs Mark Ryan (Morayfield), Chris Whiting (Murrumba), Shane King (Kallangur) and Rick Williams (Pumicestone), included special guest speaker, the Hon. Shannon Fentiman, Minister for Communities, Women and Youth.
Local service providers, community groups and concerned residents spoke about the impact family and domestic violence is having in our community.
Some spoke from personal experience of violence, others from their professional experience helping those affected by violence, but all were united behind a push to end family and domestic violence in our community.
The Roundtable meeting was also an opportunity for the Morayfield Region Family & Domestic Violence Working Group to present a Local Action Plan to the Minister.
State Member for Morayfield, Mark Ryan MP, said the Action Plan was the culmination of public meetings and plenty of hard work behind the scenes.
“This document is about identifying those areas of need in our community and outlining what we think needs to be done to address that need,” Mr Ryan said.
“Now that we’ve presented the Action Plan to the Minister, our job now is to work with the community and the Queensland Government to deliver real change in our community.”
State Member for Kallangur, Shane King MP, said the roundtable was a valuable opportunity for community leaders, key stakeholders and members of the public to discuss the Government’s actions on family and domestic violence in its response to the Not Now, Not Ever report.
“We know that local community leaders, groups and service providers who work with people experiencing family and domestic violence have valuable input to give,” Mr King said.
State Member for Pumicestone, Rick Williams MP, said that there is a need for the whole community to work together against family and domestic violence.
“This roundtable was a good opportunity to galvanise community support, because only through action from all of us can we hope to eliminate this shocking problem,” Mr Williams said.
State Member for Murrumba, Chris Whiting MP, said it was appropriate the roundtable was held just ahead of White Ribbon Day, which played a huge role in urging a change in community behaviour.
“White Ribbon is Australia’s only national, male-led campaign to end men’s violence against women,” Mr Whiting said.
“Participating in White Ribbon Day activities is a great way to raise awareness of family and domestic violence and encourage the whole community – especially men – to stand up against it.”
The Queensland Government’s response to the report’s 140 recommendations is the most comprehensive response to tackle family and domestic violence that Queensland has ever seen.
