From 3 July, the Australian Government will boost the financial assistance available to temporary visa holders experiencing family and domestic violence from the current $3000 to $5000. The Government has committed $4.4 million over two years for the increase which is expected to assist up to 2000 people nationally. The funding is in addition to the $38.2 million committed to extend the Temporary Visa Holders Experiencing Violence Pilot and Escaping Violence Payment trial to 31 January 2025.
The Federal government has announced changes to ‘non-judicial’ evidence requirements for temporary visa holders, who seek assistance as victim-survivors of family and domestic violence.
From 31 March 2023, a new instrument under the Migration Regulations 1994—Specification of evidentiary requirements—family violence will be in place that reduces the burden placed on victims of family and domestic violence seeking a visa.
Minister for Social Services, Amanda Rishworth said, “Violence against women in Australia is at epidemic proportions but it is not inevitable. We must do all we can to prevent women from having to choose between their safety or their visa status.”
Diversity Council Australia (DCA) and Pride in Diversity have released a joint report into the workplace inclusion experiences of culturally diverse LGBTQ workers.
Pride in Diversity and DCA joined forces on this project as their respective research on LGBTQ workplace inclusion had revealed that culturally diverse LGBTQ workers had unique workplace experiences that warranted deeper investigation.
Lisa Annese, CEO, Diversity Council Australia, said:
“Our work with people who are culturally diverse and LGBTQ found that for some people, current workplace D&I initiatives aren’t addressing the nuances of their intersectional identities. We wanted to start addressing this gap by sharing the insights of culturally diverse LGBTQ workers about the actions Australian organisations can take to create more inclusive workplaces.”
In My Voice is a set of vignettes (short video clips) that tell the stories of Domestic & Family Violence (DFV) in different migrant communities. These stories are told by Supporting U women leaders, who describe the struggles faced helping women with DFV from their communities.
The goal of the vignettes is to start conversations amongst communities and service providers. Each vignette tells a different story but together as a group of vignettes, they paint a diverse picture of DFV in migrant and refugee communities.
“The vignettes give us ice breakers and starting points for women who are not confident enough to start the conversation or those that need a softer way to deliver the message in a very clear manner” – Community Leader
This ground-breaking new report re-examines the state of play for culturally and racially marginalised (CARM) women in leadership, focusing on how the intersections of two key marginalising characteristics – race and gender – are still operating in workplaces to lock CARM women out of leadership.
This research also explains intersectionality and why intersectional approaches to gender equity strategies are essential.