The State Government has announced $1.86 million to fund a new national sexual violence prevention campaign, confirming combatting violence against women and children remains a top priority.

The funding, to be spent over three years, will also contribute to the continuation of the successful, national ‘Stop it at the Start’ campaign.

Specifically, funding will be spent on new and innovative campaigns including media and communications, such as television commercials, research and development and community engagement activities to drive messages at the local level.

These campaigns are included in The Fourth Action Plan 2019–2022 of the National Plan to Reduce Violence Against Women and their Children, led by the Federal Government.

The new campaign will specifically target sexual violence in the community. While the profile of domestic and family violence has continued to rise amongst the public, the same cannot be said for sexual violence. A separate sexual violence prevention campaign is required due to the prevalence of sexual harassment and sexual violence in our community, as well as the role of pornography in distorting understanding of sexual relationships.

Launched in April 2016, the Stop it at the Start campaign is a primary prevention campaign aimed at addressing sexism and gender stereotypes through the role of influencers such as parents and significant adults, sporting and community leaders, teachers and role models.