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 […]

Every month, the Victorian Women’s Trust publishes the online newsletter called Sheila’s. It’s always a great read and every month, it features a cartoon from the wonderful Judy Horachek.   Here’s is this month’s issue, the cartoon plays with gender sterotyping and the language that goes with it.   Wonderful, huh? Sign up for the newsletter here!  

  Our Executive Officer found this post about 3 days in a refuge for women and their kids. I particularly liked it because it’s so easy to read, features beautiful illustrations and, most importantly, helped me understand what it must be like to be in crisis accommodation. I love the way it walks through the […]

Bonnie’s loves this video from New Zealand. It reminds us that family violence takes many forms and NONE of them are OK. Sometimes everyday violent behaviours slip under the radar and are almost excused because they don’t seem to fit that very BIG label of Domestic Violence. But as you will see those behaviours, without […]

The other day we received an interesting call at Bonnie’s. It was from a man, calling about his little sister. She was experiencing domestic violence and he was feeling helpless, trying to get any information he could about how to support her. Calls from family and friends are not unusual for Bonnie’s but there was […]

Shockingly, last week in Australia, three women and two children were murdered in so-named “domestic” circumstances. The murder of a woman and her 7 year old grandson at Lalor Park, by the son and uncle of the two; the murder of two Queensland women, in separate incidents by their former partners and finally the murder […]