Imagine having to leave your home because you didn’t feel safe. Imagine if you and your children had to get out as quickly as possible and leave EVERYTHING behind. You know material possessions are not your priority, physical safety is paramount. So you say goodbye to all your personal belongings, your clothes and furniture. This […]

…and that’s a good thing! When we hear the topic of domestic violence it is an automatic response to think of the negative connotations. Domestic violence is a serious issue but the one positive aspect that I would like to direct your attention to right now is this amazing performance by Bankstown Public School. Domestic […]

I’m always on the look out for cool, creative and heartfelt community responses to social problems. There are actually a lot of them about! So I thought you might like to read more about this unconventional community response to homelessness in the USA. Called Tiny Houses, these small, one room ‘houses’ are mobile and are […]

I wrote those words back in July last year in a piece about the human toll of domestic violence. Following White Ribbon Day and the substantial media coverage about this human toll, it’s evident to all Australians that ‘our’ crisis is not terrorism and it’s not sharks but ‘this plague’. Since writing that article, I […]

I had been studying Community Services at NSI institute and it was coming up to student placement time. After calling many services I was able to gain a position at Bonnies Support Services. I was feeling anxious, nervous and afraid of what lay ahead, but I shouldn’t have been, the staff at Bonnie’s are wonderful […]

GPs are a crucial part of a woman’s journey to safety.  As a ‘first port of call’ they are able to identify a woman who may be experiencing DV and support her to get expert help. But it’s not always easy to ‘talk about DV’ or know where to look for signs. This video was […]

When we began to organise Bonnie’s 40th anniversary and the launch of the new service earlier this year, we started the search for our history and the early founders. Anna Sutton led the search, using libraries, archives and memories to find the women who had identified the need, found the house and set up the […]

Every year, Bonnie’s along with other women’s services in this area, sponsors the Women’s Art Prize in the Mil-Pra Awards. These awards acknowledge the remarkable art work being done by Aboriginal people. I was fortunate enough to be one of the judges this year and there were some amazing entries. The judges all had their […]

Recently Malcolm Turnbull said in a speech that “real men don’t hit women”. Whilst his intention may be noble, this idea of what a “real man” is, is at the heart of the issue of domestic violence. These traditional notions of masculinity are crippling us. This recent blog is a very interesting read on this […]

  I came across this wonderfully refreshing article showing how communities can work together to solve a problem: in this case, a high rate of DV in the Tiwi Islands. The small community of Wurrimiyanga in the Northern Territory has shown that by taking action and responsibility as a whole, they can foster change and work towards a happier more peaceful community for all. I […]

When you head up a domestic violence service you can be asked pretty soon after an announcement “So Ms Phillips do you have any comments, has the government done enough?” Recently, Mike Baird, the Premier of NSW, said “Domestic violence is a plague that needs to be eradicated across this state and country. No one […]

Mental Health Australia is doing something very exciting with their campaign for Mental Health Month this year. On their website they have a Promise Wall where people can post a promise to themselves to do one thing better for their mental health. As I write this there are over 10,000 promises on the wall. They’re […]