Systems Abuse Forum

The Domestic Violence Coordinating Committee are facilitating a forum on how family violence perpetrators manipulate systems and services to further inflict abuse (‘systems abuse’). 

Systems abuse undermines responses to family violence. It can embolden people who use violence and increase their sense of power and control. As a result, survivors and their children are often deeply impacted and can feel increasingly powerless.

The forum will provide a platform for victims/survivors to share their experiences of systems abuse, alongside professional speakers and specialists from the family violence field, sharing information on systems abuse.  

Please arrive at 9:30am for a 10am start. Speakers will begin at 10am and end at 12:15pm to allow for a 45-minute Q&A panel from 12:15pm to 1:00pm.

Due to high demand and interest in the Systems Abuse Forum we will be streaming the event via Zoom. You can view the live event by following this link at 10am on Monday 21st October: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86526954173?pwd=xNvTAWLnooHiBZwN8jkCUsCCHYEmcv.1

While the Zoom option is essential to promote our colleague’s ability to watch the Systems Abuse Forum live, it can't fully replicate the experience of face-to-face attendance. If you have a ticket, we do encourage to face-to-face attendance, as it will create a stronger sense of engagement and commitment in the Systems Abuse Forum.

Please note that the chat feature on Zoom will not be monitored during the session. Unfortunately, this means we won't be able to address questions or comments from online participants. The Systems Abuse Forum will not be recorded, so we encourage all participants to attend live, either in person or via Zoom, to fully engage with the content.

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Introducing our MC, Alina Thomas CEO of Engender Equality: 

Alina Thomas (she/her) is a respected spokesperson on family violence and gender inequality in Australia. For the past decade, she has served as the CEO of Engender Equality, where she oversees therapeutic services and delivers comprehensive family violence prevention and response training. Alina holds a degree in Social Sciences (Community Services) and a postgraduate degree in Women’s Studies. She has also trained under the United Nations in Gender Mainstreaming. Residing in nipaluna/Hobart, lutruwita/Tasmania, Alina serves as an ally for LGBTIQA+ people and all communities actively marginalised by the strategic withholding of power and resources.

Introducing our professional speakers: 

Rachel Dunn (she/her) is an advocate for the prevention of domestic, family, and sexual violence in Tasmania. With two decades in the family violence sector, Rachel Dunn is a proud Palawa woman from lutruwita, Tasmania, dedicated to creating safer communities. Her expertise and unique perspective have been vital in addressing the challenges faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Rachel has been instrumental in implementing innovative strategies and advocating for vulnerable individuals and families. She serves on the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Domestic, Family, and Sexual Violence Council, the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Family Safety Steering Committee, and the First Nations College at the National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse. Rachel is committed to breaking the cycle of violence and promoting healing and resilience within Indigenous communities and beyond. Rachel offers tailored services through her organisation Jenname, which focuses on driving impactful change and outcomes through empowering Aboriginal communities and transforming challenges into opportunities. Jenname delivers trauma informed and culturally sensitive training to transform your workplace, alongside consultancy to empower Aboriginal communities.

Micaela Cronin (she/her) began her career as a social worker in family violence and sexual assault services. Since then, she has held leadership roles across the social service sector in Australia and internationally, including as President of the Australian Council of Social Services. Micaela was also CEO of an international non-government organisation based in Asia, working to build global service delivery and strategic partnerships to tackle human trafficking and human rights abuses. In 2014, Micaela was awarded the Robin Clark Leadership Award — Victoria’s most prestigious children’s protection award — in recognition of her leadership in inspiring others to achieve the best outcomes for children, young people and their families.

Sara Stevens (she/her) is a qualified Rehabilitation Counsellor (UTAS) who has worked in the Alcohol and Drug sector in Tasmanian and Victoria for nearly two decades. Sara has undertaken roles as a Researcher with the University of Tasmania, Senior Clinician at the Salvation Army’s Bridge Program and Analyst at the Safe Families Coordination Unit with the Department of Health. Whilst employed by the Tasmanian Prison Service, Sara provided both individual session work, and facilitated group work, with convicted family violence perpetrators. Sara has worked with victim/survivors in the community providing individual counselling in the context of drug and alcohol use and lived trauma experience. In recent years, Sara has developed a four-day Family Violence Screening and Assessment training package which has become mandated training for staff working at the Safe Families, Safe Kids Advice and Referral Line and Child Safety Service with the Department for Education, Children and Young People’

Zoe Rathus (she/her) AM is a senior lecturer at the Griffith University Law School.  She has published and presented widely on women and the law, particularly the family law system and the impact of domestic and family violence on women and children.  Zoe commenced private legal practice in 1981 and became coordinator of the Women’s Legal Service in 1989 – where she then worked for 15 years.  Zoe has been at Griffith University since 2005 teaching Ethics and Professional Responsibility, Family Law and some of the student placement courses. She has been a vocal advocate for legal system reform for 40 years.  She is currently Chairperson of the Immigrant Women’s Support Service and a member of the Queensland Law Society Domestic Violence Committee.  Zoe has received a number of awards, including an Order of Australia in 2011 for her services to women, the law, Indigenous peoples and education.