Jacquie Petrusma,Minister for the Prevention of Family Violence
Tomorrow is Wear Teal Tuesday, the main day of action for Sexual Assault Awareness Month, where we encourage Tasmanians to wear teal or pop on a teal ribbon or hold a morning tea in order to raise awareness of sexual violence.
Now in its third year, Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) plays a very important part in raising awareness and providing information on sexual assault. I want to congratulate Jill Maxwell, CEO of the Sexual Assault Support Service (SASS), for bringing SAAM to Tasmania.
The theme of this year’s Sexual Assault Awareness Month is #ONLYYESMEANSYES, raising awareness of consent in our community.
Wear Teal Tuesday is about opening up conversations on how we can help make a difference, and breaking down barriers and reducing the stigma of talking about sexual violence so that we can put an end to sexual violence in our community.
While we are seeing a shift in views, we need to keep building on this momentum by opening dialogue in our workplaces, in our schools, in social settings, at home, in the community and online.
As part of raising awareness, I was pleased to launch the Tasmanian Government’s Hearing Lived Experience Survey in February at the Sexual Assault Support Service, to hear and learn from the stories of family and sexual violence victim-survivors.
The Survey is currently receiving great uptake from people around Tasmania who are bravely sharing their own stories to help us shape our next Family and Sexual Violence Action Plan.
Another important part of the consultation process is inviting public written submissions, which opened on 1 April, and information on how to make a submission is available on the Safe from Violence website.
Individuals, organisations, policy makers and community groups are invited to provide feedback on potential initiatives to prevent family and sexual violence, support victim-survivors and hold perpetrators to account.
We are also seeking feedback on our current Action Plan, Safe Homes, Families and Communities: Tasmania’s action plan for family and sexual violence 2019-2022.
Submissions will be open until 10 February 2023, and if you would like your feedback to be considered in the development of our next Action Plan, please submit by 30 April 2022.
Tasmanians have the right to live in an environment free from sexual assault, and I would like to recognise the great courage of victim-survivors in sharing their stories and reporting these offences.
Tomorrow, I encourage all Tasmanians to participate in Teal Tuesday to support Sexual Assault Awareness Month and help achieve our vision of a Tasmania free from sexual violence.
If you or someone you know is impacted by family violence, please call the Family Violence Response and Referral Line 24/7 on 1800 633 937.
If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual violence, please call the Statewide Sexual Assault Crisis Line 24/7 on 1800 697 877.
The Hearing Lived Experience Survey can be accessed at: https://www.safefromviolence.tas.gov.au/
