This presentation will outline the ways in which a ‘whole-of-government’ response to family violence was achieved in Victoria, Australia. It will examine the factors that contributed to the whole-of-government reform and the challenges that needed to be overcome along the way. It will raise questions about the role of leadership, the role of partnerships and networks across departments and sectors, and about the importance of data and information sharing. Current initiatives in family violence will be discussed, as well as opportunities for shared learning between Australia and New Zealand.

Dr Marion Frere is the Director of the Innovation and Strategy Unit in the Department of Justice, Victoria, Australia. She has a career that spans academia and government with extensive experience in public policy research, analysis and development at the federal, state and local level. As Director of the Innovation and Strategy Unit, Dr Frere leads thinking on critical strategic areas of interest within the justice system. The Innovation and Strategy Unit was established to provide practical solutions, based on data and analysis, that support improvements to services within the Justice Portfolio.

Prior to joining the Department of Justice in June 2011, Dr Frere was Deputy Director of the McCaughey Centre for the Promotion of Mental Health and Community Wellbeing in the School of Population Health, University of Melbourne. At the McCaughey Centre, Dr Frere led research on the prevention of violence against women. She was a member of the academic team that partnered with the Victorian State Government on a five-year evaluation of the Victorian Family Violence Reform Initiative.

These positions build on experience in strategic project management at the Victorian Department of Premier and Cabinet, research positions at the Centre for Public Policy, University of Melbourne, and a range of policy and research roles in the Australian federal government. Dr Frere has academic qualifications in politics, gender studies and criminology. Her PhD won the Chancellor's Medal for Humanities in 2002.

For more information, contact Nicola Paton, n.paton@auckland.ac.nz, phone: (09) 923 5873

The full day Family Violence Symposium, where Dr Frere will be a keynote speaker, is only offered in Wellington (28 May).

Click here for information abut the Family Violence Symposium