Other Links to statistics and family violence information
Federal:
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare: Family, domestic and sexual violence in Australia
Family violence in Gippsland is critically shaped by intersecting cultural, social and political factors. Gippsland men have historically been culturally and socially defined by their employment on farms, fisheries, paper mills and power stations, while Gippsland women have been defined by their role as care-giver of their family members. Family violence occurs when traditional gender roles become entrenched in communities, and because of imbalances of power within relationships, where one party feels entitled to use power and control to coerce the other members of the family. Because of the social and cultural factors which Gippsland has been founded on, Gippsland has some of the highest rates of family violence in the state.
Family violence affects all communities within Gippsland and isn’t restricted to lower income groups. It is just as prevalent in affluent areas and almost all families will be affected or know someone who is affected. We can all take steps to address family violence in our communities by calling out inappropriate behaviour’s, knowing how to offer assistance and by working to create gender equal communities.
The data below only represents the Victorian Police (VicPol) call outs. It does not indicate the number of people who sought assistance directly through a family violence service, hospitals,GP Clinics or through other referral pathways such as schools and Child Protection. Gippsland’s Family Violence incident rates are far higher than what is indicated above as this is only a fraction of available data.
It’s estimated that most family violence is never reported to a service and is dealt with in the community. We encourage everyone to report any incident of family violence, as it can result in more people gaining assistance, but also allow us to capture an accurate view of what is occurring in Gippsland, in particular, it allows services to keep those using violence in view so we can hold them accountable.
Calls for assistance were made to VicPol
This is a decrease by -3.58% on the previous 12 months
Per 100,000 people, East Gippsland had the third highest rates of family violence in the state.
of those who called Vic Pol for assistance identified as female.
Calls for assistance were made to VicPol
This is a decrease by -4.81% on the previous 12 months
Per 100,000 people, South Gippsland had the 28th highest rates of family violence in the state.
of those who called Vic Pol for assistance identified as female.
Calls for assistance were made to VicPol
This is a increase by 0.42% on the previous 12 months
Per 100,000 people, Latrobe had the 2nd highest rates of family violence in the state.
of those who called Vic Pol for assistance identified as female.
Calls for assistance were made to VicPol
This is a increase by 11.24% on the previous 12 months
Per 100,000 people, Wellington had the 4th highest rates of family violence in the state.
of those who called Vic Pol for assistance identified as female.
Calls for assistance were made to VicPol
This is a increase by 1.27% on the previous 12 months
Per 100,000 people, Baw Baw had the 31st highest rates of family violence in the state.
of those who called Vic Pol for assistance identified as female.
Calls for assistance were made to VicPol
This is a decrease by -10.70% on the previous 12 months
Per 100,000 people, Bass Coast had the 24th highest rates of family violence in the state.
of those who called Vic Pol for assistance identified as female.
Family Violence costs Gippsland $300m annually.
KPMG modelling
In the June 2022-July 2023 period all calls to VicPol for assistance across all Gippsland LGA’s, 11.73% were for people who identified as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander
Crime Statistics Agency Database
In 2021 all Gippsland Government councils were in the top 20 area’s in Victoria where a child was most likely to witness family violence, with Latrobe being 1st in the state.
Data Snapshot Child Witnesses of Family Violence An Examination of Victoria Police, Family Violence Data, Crime Statistics Agency Database
Across Victoria 9120 women on average per year are becoming homeless due to family violence, with 7690 returning to relationships due to the inability to find housing.
Gippsland's Homelessness Network, Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry into Homelessness Submission 2020
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare: Family, domestic and sexual violence in Australia
Two in every five women have experienced violence since age 15
Two in every five women have experienced violence since age 15
Cost of violence against women in Australia per year