Family violence in Geraldton and surrounding communities is a significant problem, it affects the whole community and requires a whole of community response. It is preventable, but there is no quick fix.

Community, Respect and Equality (CRE) is a regional, community-based leader in the primary prevention of violence against women and their children in Geraldton, Western Australia.

The prevention of violence against women and their children is a long-term undertaking that requires sustained, collaborative, and connected efforts by the individuals, organisations, leaders and sectors that make up a community.

Community, Respect and Equality works to embed gender equality to prevent violence across a variety of sectors, engaging community members where they socialise, live, learn and work, through a whole of community approach.

CRE moves beyond a focus on individual behaviours, and considers the broader social, political, and economic factors that drive violence against women, and the social context of gender inequality in which this violence arises.

Our Purpose

To improve the health, wellbeing and safety of women and their children across the Midwest – Gascoyne region, through embedding gender equality and primary prevention initiatives where our community lives, learns, works and socialises.

Our Vision

Community, Respect and Equality seeks to make Geraldton a cohesive community where:

• Violence in all forms is unacceptable.
• Organisations are non-discriminatory and gender equitable.
• Where relationships are equal, healthy and respectful.
• The prevalence of family violence is reduced.

How we will get there

• Promotion of non-violent and non discriminatory attitudes and social norms
• Education of what constitutes family violence
• Development of safe, inclusive and gender-equitable workplaces, community and sporting organisations
• Promotion of healthy and respectful relationships by facilitating learning and awareness opportunities

Our Values

1. Community Collaboration: We will stand up, speak out and work together with others for a violence free community.
2. Respect and Cultural Diversity: We will acknowledge and value traditions and cultural differences, and demonstrate respectful relationships with family, friends, work colleagues and other community members.
3. Equality: We will support gender equality by promoting women’s independence and decision making in the workplace.
4. Safety: We will promote non-violent attitudes, language, and behaviour to create a safer community.
5. Social Justice: We will work together to address unequal norms, practices and structures that lead to increased family violence.

Strategic Action Plan

The Community, Respect & Equality Strategic Action Plan for Family Violence in Geraldton was developed in 2017 to provide a sound evidence-based foundation from which the community can start a unified journey to challenging and saying no to violence within a regional context. The plan was developed through participatory and extensive community consultation with multiple stakeholders.

It was officially launched in September 2017 by the Minister for Prevention of Family and Domestic Violence Simone McGurk at the CRE Summit. This project was funded by the Department of Social Services.

Download CRE Strategic Action Plan

Community Context

Local Context:
Geraldton is located at the heart of the Midwest region, situated just over 400km north of Perth. The city is the major regional service centre for the Mid West-Gascoyne region, and is WA’s most diverse regional economy, supporting numerous industries, including fishing and tourism, mining and agriculture, small business and a comprehensive range of tertiary service industries (Progress Midwest, 2023).

Geraldton has a rapidly growing and diverse population, home to over 40,000 people with 9.7 percent identifying as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, and 23.5 percent born overseas (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021).

Devastatingly, Family Domestic violence in Geraldton and surrounding communities is a significant problem. The Midwest – Gascoyne Police Family and Domestic Violence Response Team attend an average of 234 Family Violence incidents a month for a total of 2819 incidents for the 2016/17 financial year (Department of Communities, 2017).

State Context:
These figures are amongst the highest in in the state, with the Kimberley the only region in the state with a significantly higher per capita reporting of family violence (ABS, 2016). According to the ABS Personal Safety Survey 2012, 80% of women who experience violence from a current partner do not contact Police. When this low level of reporting is taken into account, the estimated number of family violence incidents in the region is closer to 14,000 per year.

National Context:
In Australia, women from all different backgrounds are impacted by violence, which can occur at any time in their lives. Many experience violence perpetrated by someone known to them, often a partner or ex-partner. Others experience workplace sexual harassment or harassment on the street, or in another public place. Others experience violence within an institutional context. Some women experience multiple different forms of violence, harassment or abuse during their lifetimes – from a range of different perpetrators and in various different contexts While there are gaps in, and limitations to, Australian prevalence data , the data we have points to some of the ways the dynamics of violence differ across age an demographic groups, and gives a picture of the many different forms of violence that women experience:

• In Australia, on average, one woman a week is killed by a partner or former partner, and the killing of children is also strongly correlated with a history of domestic/family violence.
• One in five women has experienced sexual violence since the age of 15. In the most recent incident of sexual assault, 87 per cent of women were assaulted by a male they knew. In 2015 alone, 5.1 per cent of women (480,200 women) experienced sexual violence.
• One in three women has experienced physical violence by a partner, other known person or a stranger since the age of 15. (OurWatch, 2021).

Violence has significant impacts on women’s short and long-term physical and mental health and wellbeing. In Australia, intimate partner violence alone contributes to more death, disability and illness in women aged 15 to 44 than any other preventable risk factor. It is estimated that cost of violence against women to the Australian economy by 20244- 2045 will be over $323 billion dollars (OurWatch, 2021).

Together, we can stop violence before it starts and prevent harm against women. By actively facilitating primary prevention efforts, we not only create a violence-free future for women but also contribute to building a more just, equal, and respectful society for everyone, fostering inclusive and equal communities that respect and value diversity and difference.

Federal & State Alignment

All Community, Respect and Equality initiatives align with the following federal and state frameworks:

• OurWatch Change the story 2021.
• OurWatch Changing the Picture.
• National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children 2022-2032.
• Path to Safety – Western Australia’s Strategy to reduce family and domestic violence 2020-2030.
• Safe and Supported: The National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children 2021–2031.
• Stronger Together: WA’s Plan for Gender Equality – Second Action Plan 2021-2025.
• Closing the Gap National Agreement.

These frameworks serve as the foundation for our commitment to maintaining consistency and alignment with the overarching state and federal goals and strategies.

As a community-led initiative, our approach has strong foundations in collaboration and engagement, fostering alliances with diverse and community stakeholders. This model ensures that our efforts are not only evidence-driven but also reflective of a collective commitment to effecting positive change in our community.

Completed CRE Projects

CRE WEEK 2019