Safe and Equal @ Work

The Safe and Equal @ Work program will deliver a transformative research program that creates workforce pathways for victim-survivors and drives evidence informed responses to family violence and gender equality statewide.

"Monash has invested heavily in gender and family violence research and access to justice over the past five years. This funding will support a new program of research focused on ensuring Victorian workforces are safe, and equality for Victorian women including those experiencing family violence.”

– Professor Margaret Gardner AC,
President and Vice-Chancellor,
Monash University

About the program

The Safe and Equal @ Work program will inform and develop workforce pathways, training supports and job creation for family violence victim-survivors. We will enhance safety, help address women’s financial insecurity and gender inequalities in the workplace and produce economic benefits through greater workforce participation.

Transformative research

The work program will:

Reduce the economic costs of family violence, enhancing women’s safety, addressing women’s homelessness, producing economic benefits through greater workforce participation,
Create and enhance workforce pathways and skills training for family violence victim-survivors,
Deliver a program of research that sets out, by industry, what employer groups can do to create specific workplace opportunities for victim-survivors,
Support the next generation of leading family violence researchers and inform effective family violence responses during times of crisis, and
Create new industry and sector partnerships to realise Victoria’s commitment to achieving gender equality in the public sector

Graduate education opportunities

The Safe and Equal @ Work program has created 24 Graduate Certificate of Family Violence Prevention scholarships for people with lived experience, PhD and post doctoral research scholarships, research associate and professional roles.

This program of work will generate a direct pathway into family violence prevention graduate education for victim-survivors who have experienced barriers to obtaining qualifications and consequently employment in their chosen sector.

More information can be found on the webpage for Scholarship Opportunity – Graduate Certificate of Family Violence Prevention.

Program funding

The ‘Safe and Equal @ Work’ program was announced on 24 May, 2021, by The Hon. Gayle Tierney, Minister for Higher Education, via the State Government’s Victorian Higher Education State Investment Fund (VHESIF), which was developed in response to the significant impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the sector. The $350 million Fund is supporting universities with capital works, research infrastructure projects and applied research focused on boosting Victoria’s productivity and economy as the state recovers from the pandemic.

Research projects

The Safe and Equal @ Work program recognises that:

Family violence can take women out of the Victorian workforce,
Family violence can impact the degree of their contribution when in the workforce, and
Family violence can prevent women from entering the workforce.

Examining the impact of domestic and family violence across Australian workplaces and the need for improved workplace supports

This project will identify current (and COVID-19 exacerbated) barriers to workforce engagement for women who have experienced family violence and the industry specific supports needed.

This project aims to generate the evidence-base needed and the practice tools required to ensure that women who have experienced family violence are able to successfully reengage with paid work and where desired to contribute to family violence advocacy, policy and practice reform. It will provide an international evidence and best practice review of workforce pathways and job supports for family violence victim-survivors.

The new knowledge generated as part of this project will inform the development of effective workplace support models for those experiencing and perpetrating family violence. Guidelines developed will complement existing family violence leave provisions and policies in Victoria.

For more details about this project please contact Dr Emma McNicol via email: Emma.McNicol@monash.edu

The impact of workplace culture on gender equality

The growing evidence-base in relation to workplace gender equality has to date, focused primarily on interventions targeting formal gender equality indicators, such as pay equity, gender composition of all levels of the workforce including governing bodies, prevention of and responses to workplace sexual harassment, recruitment and promotion practices, gendered work segregation, leave and flexibility options. An area that has been less explored is the impact of the workplace culture in which these interventions are applied.

Workplace culture refers to the environment employees operate in and includes the often-unspoken norms, behaviours and attitudes that are considered acceptable and tolerated. Addressing workplace culture has been identified as crucial to embedding recent policy and practice reforms, including paid domestic family violence leave).

This research aims to gain new insights the views and experiences of Australian- based workers on how workplaces can create and maintain a culture that is supportive of gender equality. Through an online national survey new knowledge will be generated about:

Australian-based workers’ views on the current status of gender equality in their workplace,
Insights into the current cultural climate of Australian workplaces, and
Areas for further policy and practice reform.

The project will deliver important policy and practice insights that will be of benefit across all Australian States and Territories, and a variety of workplaces and industries nationally.

For more details about this project please contact Dr Rebecca Stewart via email: rebecca.stewart@monash.edu

For further details about this project, please click the heading above.

Workplace sexual harassment: A national study to inform new prevention and early intervention strategies

Project lead: Dr Nicola Helps
Chief Investigators: Associate Professor Kate Fitz-Gibbon, Professor Steven Roberts, Dr Rebecca Stewart, Dr Anna Genat, Dr Stef Vasil

This project will survey 2000 Australians, including victim-survivors and bystanders, to complete a large-scale national study examining the prevention of, and early interventions for, workplace sexual harassment.

This project has four key aims:

To examine opportunities to better identify, prevent and respond to workplace sexual harassment across industry groups and priority populations,
To create a robust evidence-base on victim-survivors’ views on opportunities for early intervention and improved responses to workplace sexual harassment,
To examine the degree to which workplace culture presents as a barrier to early intervention and response, including the capacity of bystanders,
To generate new insights and workplace focused recommendations to support improved policy and practice.

Monash expertise

Core Team View

Kate Fitz-Gibbon

Associate Professor Kate Fitz-Gibbon

Fitz-Gibbon has received research funding from the Australian Research Council, ANROWS, Australian Institute of Criminology, Family Safety Victoria, Victoria Police and the Department of Health and Human Services. She has led multi-year projects with significant stakeholder engagement. In 2018 Fitz-Gibbon was appointed to the Victorian Government’s Expert Advisory Committee on Perpetrator Interventions, the Monash City Council Gender Equity Advisory Committee and the inaugural Board of Directors of Respect Victoria. She has recently been appointed to the Victorian Government’s MARAM and Workforce Implementation Working Group.

Dr Rebecca Stewart

Rebecca is an interdisciplinary researcher whose experience and interests focus on primary prevention and behaviour change in the gender equality field. Rebecca completed her doctoral studies as part of the highly-competitive Behaviour Change Graduate Research Industry Partnership program, an interdisciplinary collaboration between BehaviourWorks Australia and VicHealth. Her recently submitted doctoral thesis investigated healthier masculinities from a gender equality perspective, focusing on primary prevention interventions. Applying a behavioural science lens to the project, she presented a framework to support program design and impact, by looking at how programs support participants to engage in deliberate processing of information, which leads to stronger attitude formation and is a good predictor of behaviour change.

Rebecca has extensive research experience, particularly in qualitative data collection and analysis. She also has a passion for making research accessible and is experienced in adapting outputs across a variety of platforms and mediums, including but not limited to academic publications, government-funded reports, publications such as The Conversation, and presenting to a variety of audiences.

Dr Emma McNicol

Dr. Emma McNicol conducts leading research on gender equitable and inclusive workplaces. A renowned feminist philosopher and expert on Simone de Beauvoir, Emma’s work examines themes of exclusion and intersectionality in historical and contemporary feminist theory.

Emma is also an accomplished University lecturer and secondary school teacher. She has developed and implemented gender equality and LGBTQI+ inclusive educational suites at secondary schools in the UK and Australia. A committed public intellectual, Emma founded the Melbourne Centre for Feminist Philosophy, providing a platform for leading feminist philosophers, gender equality and diversity practitioners to share their work with the community.

Rosie Batty

Rosie became an outspoken crusader against family violence following the murder of her son, Luke, in February 2014. Through her personal tragedy she stepped into a leadership role to advocate for victims impacted by family violence and to challenge the victim-blaming narrative. She was named Australian of the Year in January 2015 and made the most of her position of influence by advocating for systemic reform and gender equality.

During her tenure as Australian of the Year, Rosie was made Deputy Chair and Foundation member of the COAG Advisory Panel on Reducing Violence against Women and in 2016 became the inaugural Chair of the Victim Survivor’s Advisory Council for the Victorian Government. Rosie has been inducted into the Victorian Honour Roll of Women and is a recipient of the Pride of Australia National Courage Medal. She received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of the Sunshine Coast for her contribution to raising national awareness and action concerning family violence, and an Order of Australia in the 2019 Queen’s birthday honour’s list.

Rosie is also a Board Director for the Royal Women’s Hospital, Patron of both the Australian Childhood Foundation and Doncare Community Services, and Co-Chair of the White Ribbon Advisory Council.

Liana Papoutsis

Liana is an expert in gender equality and the workplace, a victim-survivor advocate, lawyer, consultant, and Government Board member. Liana was an inaugural member and Deputy Chair of the Victorian Government’s Victim Survivor Advisory Council, she is a member of the Respect Victoria Board of Director and previously served as Chair of the Victorian Speaking Out Advocate Committee. Liana has provided expert advice to Victoria Police, Victorian Department of Premier & Cabinet, Magistrates Court of Victoria, Victorian Legal Aid, and to several Victorian Local City Councils.

Harshita Rupanagudi

Harshita is the Program Officer for the Safe & Equal @ Work Program, managing all administrative and professional aspects of the projects under this program.

Advisory Board View

The Advisory Board will inform and guide the Centre's work as part of the Safe and Equal@Work program. We recognise the need to partner with industry leaders to ensure that this program can adapt to meet industry needs, and that the research findings can be effectively shared to inform improved policies and practices.

This Advisory Board will be co-chaired by Centre Director, Associate Professor Kate Fitz-Gibbon and Centre member, Rosie Batty, and consists of the following esteemed members.

Associate Professor Kate Fitz-Gibbon (Co-Chair)

Associate Professor Kate Fitz-Gibbon is an internationally recognised researcher in the field of family violence, criminal justice and service system responses to violence against women, and the impact of criminal law reform in Australia and internationally. She has significant experience in qualitative research methods including focus groups, interviews and surveys with a range of hard to reach and diverse communities. In 2021 Kate led the National Plan Consultation project, contracted by the Department of Social Services, and the Fair Work Commission's lived experience engagement project as part of the Commission's domestic and family violence leave review.

Rosie Batty (Co-Chair)

Rosie became a nationally leading advocate against family violence following the murder of her son, Luke, in February 2014. She was named Australian of the Year in January 2015 and has used her position of influence by advocating for systemic reform and gender equality. During her tenure as Australian of the Year, Rosie was made Deputy Chair and Foundation member of the COAG Advisory Panel on Reducing Violence against Women and in 2016 became the inaugural Chair of the Victim Survivor’s Advisory Council for the Victorian Government. Rosie has been inducted into the Victorian Honour Roll of Women and is a recipient of the Pride of Australia National Courage Medal. She received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of the Sunshine Coast for her contribution to raising national awareness and action concerning family violence, and an Order of Australia in the 2019 Queen’s birthday honour’s list. Rosie is also a Board Director for the Royal Women’s Hospital, Patron of both the Australian Childhood Foundation and Doncare Community Services, and Co-Chair of the White Ribbon Advisory Council.

Stella Avramopoulos

Stella Avramopoulos has been a CEO in the not for profit sector for over 14 years and is currently the CEO of Good Shepherd Australia New Zealand since 2018. As the leader of this proud community services organisation, she is committed to disrupting cycles of disadvantage that hinder the wellbeing of women, girls and families. Stella is an influential and inspirational leader in the community, education and government sectors across Australia. She has worked across different levels of government and has held advisory positions on the Office of Living Victoria’s Environment and Community Taskforce, the Ministerial Advisory Group Addressing Violence Against Women and Children, the Victorian Government’s Community Sector Reform Council and Australian Banking Association Customer Forum. Stella was a member of the Victorian Council of Social Service (VCOSS) for nine years, and President for six. She currently sits on the National Centre for Social Impact Studies Advisory Board and has recently been appointed to the RMIT Law and Business School Advisory Board. Since starting her professional life as a Corrections Officer with the Victorian Department of Justice, Stella’s career has been characterised by vision, compassion and authenticity. Stella is most proud of her ability to build and co-design impactful cross-sector collaborations that address underlying structural causes of injustice and inequality that must be challenged to change the lives of some of our most marginalised people.

Carolyn Bond

Carolyn Bond has worked in consumer policy and advocacy roles for over 30 years, mainly within the community legal services sector. Since 2017. Carolyn has facilitated the work of the Economic Abuse Reference Group (EARG), an informal network of over 20 community organisations which aims to influence industry responses to economic abuse.

Catherine Fitzpatrick

Catherine Fitzpatrick is a former banking executive with experience in establishing and leading teams to improve outcomes for customers experiencing vulnerability, resolving complaints and advocating for policy, process and regulatory change. A former journalist, she has worked across the private, public and not-for-profit sectors. Catherine was a director of the Diversity Council of Australia 2010-2015 and a member of the Australian Banking Association’s Consumer Outcomes Group 2018-2022. She was inaugural chair of the National Women’s Safety Alliance policy and advocacy committee 2021-2022 and has served as an invited member of Commonwealth and New South Wales government advisory committees on women’s economic opportunity, domestic, family and sexual violence and financial abuse. She is the only business representative member of the National Plan Advisory Group since it was established in 2021. In 2018 she was recognised as an AFR Qantas 100 Women of Influence for her voluntary leadership of the Commonwealth Bank’s domestic violence strategy and program. In 2019, she led analysis and galvanised the banking industry’s response to threats and abuse in payment transaction descriptions, resulting in action from Australian and New Zealand banks and the Fintel Alliance, AUSTRAC’s public-private partnership to detect, disrupt and prevent serious crime.

Emma Fulu

Dr Emma Fulu is a feminist activist, social entrepreneur and one of the world’s leading experts on violence against women, appearing widely across the media including on Al Jazeera, CNN, the BBC, the 7:30 Report and Q+A. She is the founder and Executive Director of the Equality Institute, a global feminist agency working to advance gender equality and end violence against women and girls. She is also the co-founder of VOICE, a non-profit organisation that partners with women and girls in conflict and disaster settings to amplify their solutions to violence in their own communities. Before that she worked at the United Nations and led the ground-breaking UN Multi-Country Study on Men and Violence. Emma is Co-Chair of the Gender and Rights Advisory Panel of the World Health Organization, and a member of the Global Women’s Institute Leadership Council. She has a PhD from the University of Melbourne, is the author of Domestic Violence in Asia, and publishes widely on gender, violence, and feminist leadership. The mother of three young children, Emma lives in Melbourne Australia.

Sian Lewis

Sian Lewis is the Group Executive, Human Resources at the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. Sian is focused on helping the Bank ensure our people and communities are skilled for the future; that the Bank offers the very best experiences for its employees; and that CBA’s culture is anchored in their values of Care, Courage and Commitment. She is also committed to promoting employee wellbeing and strengthening and supporting a diverse and inclusive workforce. Sian joined the Bank in 2014 and was Executive General Manager, Direct Channels prior to her current role. Previously, Sian spent nine years at Westpac, in retail and commercial banking, marketing and call centre teams. Sian also spent 10 years in senior HR consulting roles in the UK and two years in Australia consulting to APRA.

Lisa Pusey

Lisa Pusey is an independent consultant on gender equality currently working with several organisations including Elizabeth Broderick & Co, the University of Sydney, and the Champions of Change Coalition leading the Coalition’s work on workplace responses to domestic and family violence. Lisa has over 15 years experience working in law, policy and practice reform including as Advisor to the Sex Discrimination Commissioner at the Australian Human Rights Commission, roles in several international women’s human rights organisations overseas, and in community legal centres in Australia. Lisa is on the Board of Women’s Legal Services NSW and Women’s Fund Asia (Australia) and a member of the National Women’s Safety Alliance’s Policy and Advocacy Advisory Committee.

Padma Raman

Padma Raman has a wealth of experience as a senior executive at both the state and federal level, and in 2018 was awarded the Public Service Medal for outstanding service leading significant cultural, technological and governance change. Before starting as CEO of ANROWS, she was the Chief Executive of the Australian Human Rights Commission for 11 years. Prior to that she established and was Chief Executive Officer of the Victorian Law Reform Commission for nine years. During that time, Ms Raman was a member of the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission and was instrumental in assisting the Victorian Government develop and implement the Victorian Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006. Ms Raman sits on a number of boards including the Human Rights Law Center and the ANU Council and has a master of laws by research focusing on the experiences of immigrant and Indigenous women under the Australian legal system.

Ciara Sterling

As Founding CEO and Director of the Thriving Communities Partnership, Ciara Sterling convenes over 350 organisations, together with people with lived experience, to forge deeper understanding of vulnerability and drive ecosystem change through social design innovation. Ciara is also a Non-Executive Director on the Board of Consumer Action Law Centre (CALC), is a member of the White Ribbon Advisory and a founding member of the Economic Abuse Reference Group (EARG). She has over 20 years’ experience collaborating across corporate, government and community sectors to address the root causes of vulnerability domestic abuse and inequality.

Harshita Rupanagudi

Harshita Rupanagudi is the Program Officer for Safe & Equal @ Work Program and supports the Advisory Board as the secretary. Harshita brings in over seven years of experience in providing executive support across various industries.

Why is this program needed? View

Women experiencing family violence are at higher risk of exiting the workforce during their experiences of violence and of experiencing barriers to gaining paid employment during or following their experiences of violence. Research has consistently found that women who are financially independent are more likely to be able to leave an abusive partner, maintain that separation and recover from the otherwise lasting adverse effects of family violence. The financial hardships experienced by women who have experienced family violence are evident in state-wide statistics which consistently identify family violence as the leading cause of women and children’s homelessness. This program of work reflects the identified need to improve employment opportunities, participation and supports for women experiencing family violence. The COVID-19 pandemic, and its associated gendered and economic impacts, have heightened the risks of family violence for women and children across Victoria and created additional barriers to seeking help.

Victoria has led the world in investing in evidence-based responses to and the prevention of family violence. COVID-19 has given new prominence to the social and economic impacts of family violence and the importance of financial independence for victim survivors. This program of work will ensure that Victoria continues to lead globally. It will provide the evidence base needed to secure women and children’s safety from family violence in the home and violence against women in the workplace as we move through the recovery from COVID-19.

A key focus of this program of work and the research to be conducted is on gender equality and realising the commitments made by the Victorian Government through the legislation of the Victorian Gender Equality Act 2020. This work program will generate the evidence base and industry supports needed to realise this commitment to improving gender equality across Victorian public sector workplaces. This is critical given the documented increase of family violence along with women’s loss of employment and consequential loss of financial independence during the current pandemic as well as recently well documented gender inequities and experiences of violence against women in the workplace.

Research outputs View

Media and engagement View

Related research View

For more information about the Safe and Equal @ Work program please contact: Centre Director Kate Fitz-Gibbon via
p: (03) 99052616, e: kate.fitzgibbon@monash.edu

Monash Gender and Family Violence Prevention Hub

Arts

Safe and Equal @ Work