Day 8: Empowerment and recovery
Recovery and healing from domestic, family and sexual violence can be a long and difficult process. The Commission has heard that victim-survivors face many different barriers to recovery, including economic and systems abuse.
This day of public hearings is an opportunity to bring focused attention to the need to break down these barriers and to develop long-term supports to enable healing, recovery and empowerment.
Transcript - Wednesday, 5 March 2025
Morning session - from 9.30am
What do victim survivors need to recover from domestic, family and sexual violence? What is getting in the way?
Professor Silke Meyer is the Leneen Forde Chair in Child & Family Research and a Professor of Social Work at Griffith University. She is a criminologist and social worker by training, bringing practical and theoretical expertise to her research, teaching and writing. Her research centers on different aspects of domestic and family violence, including women and children’s safety and wellbeing, men’s accountability in their role as perpetrators and fathers, experiences specific to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and the role of domestic and family violence-informed practice in child protection, healthcare, policing and court related service delivery.
The value of peer support in a healing journey
Anna is a cofounder and director of The Survivor Hub. Anna is very lucky to live on beautiful Wilyakali Country in Broken Hill.
Anna experienced domestic and sexual violence as a young person and endured an isolating court process as a result. Anna was inspired to create TSH to empower connection and community between survivors. Anna believes that healing can only happen with connections and support from other people who just get it.
Anna is a recent graduate of Bachelor of Arts and Social Work from the University of Sydney. Anna is currently working as a social worker.
Anna was recognised for her work with TSH in 2023, being named Westfield Eastgardens Local Hero. She is an ambassador for National Survivors' Day and has worked with Full Stop Australia, Bumble, NSW Government and others.
Afternoon session - from 1.30pm
What works? Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander healing programs that respond to family violence
Professor Bronwyn Carlson
Bronwyn is the Head of the Centre for Critical Indigenous Studies at Macquarie University and the Deputy Director (Indigenous) of the Australian Research Council’s Centre of Excellence for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (CEVAW). She is a Member of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Council, which developed the National Plan to End Family, Domestic, and Sexual Violence. A leading scholar on family violence, Professor Carlson has published extensively in the field. Her work includes key reports from Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety (ANROWS), such as What Works? Exploring the Literature on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Healing Programs that Respond to Family Violence(2021) and What Works? A Qualitative Exploration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Healing Programs that Respond to Family Violence (2024).
Dr Terri Farrelly
Terri is a Research Fellow with the Australian Research Council’s Centre of Excellence for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (CEVAW). A dedicated researcher and author, her work focuses on Aboriginal suicidologies, truth-telling, and addressing racism and discrimination. She recently contributed to a national research project funded by Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety (ANROWS), examining Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander healing programs that respond to family violence. Dr Farrelly has co-authored Monumental Disruptions: Aboriginal People and Colonial Commemorations in So-Called Australia (Aboriginal Studies Press, 2023) with Distinguished Professor Bronwyn Carlson and co-edited The Palgrave Handbook on Rethinking Colonial Collaborations (Palgrave Macmillan, 2023), an international collection exploring colonial entanglements and Indigenous resistance.
Economic empowerment
Kelly-Ann has over 15 years of leadership in the sector, and is committed to driving systemic change, advancing gender equity, and transforming responses to social justice issues. Her expertise spans policy influence, governance, high-level stakeholder engagement, and cross-sector collaboration, delivering outcome-driven impact at the intersection of government, for-purpose, philanthropy, and corporate sectors.
As CEO of Zahra Foundation Australia, she has led the organisation’s strategic growth, positioning it as a national leader in economic empowerment and financial resilience for women impacted by gendered violence.
The Inclusive Work Program: Supporting people into safe, sustainable employment
Sarah Gun
Sarah is a pioneering social innovator dedicated to advancing social equity. She is the founder of social enterprises GOGO Events and Up by GOGO, and charity the GOGO Foundation. These entities are all committed to creating pathways to meaningful employment for women marginalized from the workforce.
Sarah has been instrumental in shaping the social enterprise landscape in SA, being a founding board of the South Australian Social Enterprise Council. Sarah’s leadership extends to serving on boards for the South Australian Working Women’s Centre and the Australian Centre for Child Protection. Sarah is a Westpac Social Change Fellow, an Australia Day Women’s Award and Social Traders Changemaker Award recipient.
Tam Norris
Tam has been the Program Manager for the Inclusive Work Program for three and a half years. She has extensive experience supporting vulnerable individuals affected by domestic, family, and sexual violence. She has assisted more than 90 women in rebuilding their lives after experiencing significant trauma. Tam’s dedication to empowering survivors through recovery and advocacy makes her a key leader in the field, focused on long-term healing and resilience.
