Local government is critical in driving the changes needed to prevent violence against women. 

This online toolkit is a resource to help local governments to prevent violence against women in their workplaces and communities. It includes information on family and domestic violence and other forms of gender-based violence (such as workplace sexual harassment) in Australia and the role of prevention in achieving culture and systemic change. It provides evidence-based and practical resources, tools and templates to help local governments plan and implement prevention activities in their workplaces and communities. 

Many local governments across Australia have already started their journey towards preventing violence against women in their workplaces and communities. We thank them for contributing their insights and experience to help develop this toolkit. We would also like to thank ANROWS for their 2019 evaluation of the trials. You can read the Local Government Toolkit Trials Evaluation here.

We hope this toolkit inspires and enables other local governments to begin violence against women prevention.

This toolkit is part of a Commonwealth Government-led initiative under the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children 2010-2022 (the National Plan).

This online toolkit includes five main sections: 

Get prepared

This section sets out the role local governments can play in preventing violence against women, how local governments can build a business case for the work, how to set up a working group and guidance for making a statement of commitment.

Set up

This section provides guidance for actions that need to be taken, internally, before local governments can engage in the work, including gender equality audits, policies and developing a process for safety planning.

Take action

This section provides an overview about how to engage your community in the design and delivery of violence against women prevention activity.

Share and improve

This section provides guidance for monitoring and evaluating prevention activity.

Learn

This section explains key concepts relating to violence against women, including its causes, impacts and how to prevent it. 

‘Local government’, on this site, refers to all local governments including local governments, shires, towns or municipalities, as well as both elected members and the employees and services of these.

City of Charles Sturt: Raising awareness through art projects

The City of Charles Sturt aimed to raise awareness of respectful relationships across the community and within the local government. They used art as a medium to engage the broader community in a discussion about respectful relationships. This included developing a range of art projects that were delivered during the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence.   

One of their art projects was the Clothesline Project. Community groups, businesses, schools, sports clubs (including the Port Adelaide Football Club) and members of the community of all ages, abilities and backgrounds were encouraged to come together to share their unique responses to domestic and family violence by decorating t-shirts. The project encouraged discussion, raised awareness and aimed to end the silence on domestic and family violence. The painted shirts were hung on clotheslines throughout the City of Charles Sturt and displayed in community spaces.  

Another project, titled ‘Act of Love’, paired twelve local artists with twelve members of the community affected by domestic and family violence to paint a portrait that represented a positive portrayal of the community member, highlighting their dignity and inner-strength. These portraits were displayed in the Civic Centre during the 16 Days of Activism.