Emerge - Women & Children's Support Network

A message from our CEO - Claire Marshall

Last night, Australia watched with collective pride as our Matildas played the World Cup quarter finals. The incredible success of our women's team is reflective of the steps we've taken as a society to address gender inequality. Looking at the last 40 years of progress is illuminating.

In 2019, NSW was the last state to decriminalise abortion and for the first time, we had a gender-equal Australian Senate. In 2018, the Matildas became the first soccer team in the world to be paid
the same as the men's team. In 2018, the tampon tax was repealed. In 2017, the AFLW and Super Netball was launched, with women joining men at the national, elite level of sporting and women in cricket received equal pay. In 2016, the first First Nations woman was elected to the House of Representatives and the Australian women's Olympic team took home 6 of our 8 gold medals. In 2013, the Australian Sports Commission set mandatory targets for Board gender equality in national sporting organisations. In 2012, private companies across Australia with more than 100 employees were required by law to report against gender equality indicators, with sporting organisations joining public reporting. In 2010, the first woman was appointed as our Prime Minister. In 2008, the first woman was elected as governor general. In 2005, we appointed our first woman AFL Commissioner. In 2012, a woman was appointed the first CEO of Basketball Australia, and for the first time a woman joined the board of Cricket Australia.

In 1992, the last of the states made it a crime to r**e someone you were married to. In 1990, we elected our first women premiers. In 1988, our Hockeyroos team won our first women's gold in the Olympics. In 1987, the first woman was appointed to the High Court. In 1985, the first woman was inducted in the Sport Australia Hall of Fame. In 1984, federal legislation made it illegal across Australia to discriminate against someone because of their gender and the IAS named their first woman athlete of the year. In 1983, Australia ratified international legislation to eliminate discrimination against women.

It is a glorious high after the past 40 years of reform, change, and inclusion. 40 years of striving toward equality - in our community, business, representation and in sports.

Today, little kids of all genders wear Matildas shirts and say Sam Kerr - one of the best forwards of all time - is their hero. We came together as a country and community to cheer an extraordinary team. Equality in sport reflects equality in the community. I'll be watching with my teeth clenched on Saturday night as we fight for third place as some of the best sportspeople in the world.

EVA AND GAYE COMBINE PASSION WITH PURPOSE

Bringing passion and purpose to Emerge’s administration arm were uppermost in the minds of Eva and Gaye who joined the team earlier this year.

Eva is Business and HR lead while Gaye is Quality and Policy lead: two important roles in ensuring that Emerge provides the right solutions to the needs of staff supporting women and children escaping family violence.

Both women describe themselves as deeply affected by the amount of family violence reported in Australia and were seeking work with an organisation committed to ending family violence and gender violence.

Eva and Gaye combine passion with purpose | Emerge Support RT : The Federal Government is poised to cut $23.5 million from Victorian homlessness services—or about $65 million nationally. The…

EFFIE IS SAFE AT LAST

After 18 months of rescheduled hearings and sleepless nights, Effie* finally feels safe and able to pick up the pieces of her life.

She was recently awarded a five-year intervention order through the magistrates’ court and is now in long-term housing.

Effie began her intervention order case when she moved into Emerge’s refuge. Working with the organisation’s case workers and community lawyers, Effie has received crucial support at all stages of the process. Two staff accompanied her to the last hearing.

https://emergesupport.org.au/news-and-events/effie-is-safe-at-last/

MURAL INSTALLED IN OUR REFUGE

It’s been hands on at Emerge’s refuge recently with the mural, designed by celebrated Indigenous artist Aunty Fiona Clarke, being installed in the refuge garden by the Men’s Shed Mordialloc. The mural materials were funded through Rotary Mordialloc.

The next step will be ther**eutic practitioner Susi working with mothers and children to put a border around the mural.

Fiona worked on the mural at her home studio before it was delivered to Emerge for refuge families to put their magical finishing touches to it.

Fiona is a Kirrae Whurrong Aboriginal woman who for over 30 years she has depicted her Aboriginal culture through the visual arts, including tapestry, painting, public art and through children’s literature.

MURAL INSTALLED IN OUR REFUGE | Emerge Support RT : The Federal Government is poised to cut $23.5 million from Victorian homlessness services—or about $65 million nationally. The…

EMERGE FLOURISHES DESPITE THE MANY CHALLENGES FOR WOMEN AND CHILDREN

Emerge continues to flourish, building on the advances made in 2022. As we reported in our Impact Review, staff and volunteers welcomed and assisted 350 families in refuge and our other accommodation, our outreach program and ther**eutic services.

This represents a 25% increase from 2011 in the number of women and children supported to live safely free from family violence. All those supported in refuge came from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) backgrounds.

"Emerge is committed to continuing to provide a safe, supportive and equitable service for all children that centres their inherent value, safety and wellbeing,” Debra Goldfinch, Chair of the Board, said.

Emerge flourishes despite the many challenges for women and children | Emerge Support RT : The Federal Government is poised to cut $23.5 million from Victorian homlessness services—or about $65 million nationally. The…

From the CEO

We have launched into the year with strategic planning to set a clear direction for the organisation going forward and ensure that we continue to deliver excellent outcomes for our clients, meet new standards for service delivery and find ways to increase our impact and transform the lives of more people impacted by family violence.

Our new strategic plan will be released in late autumn. I am looking forward to sharing our new strategic direction with our supporters. Thank you for your generosity, influence and advocacy. We are immensely grateful.

From the CEO | Emerge Support RT : The Federal Government is poised to cut $23.5 million from Victorian homlessness services—or about $65 million nationally. The…

Happy international Women's Day from us to the women we work with and for, and all our supporters and volunteers.

Family violence is literally making us sicker -- new study finds abuse increases risk of chronic illness Experience of any form of partner violence increases the risk of developing chronic illnesses. Healthcare professionals need to recognise family abuse as a health issue.

The research found missed opportunities are evident in child protection, health settings, mental health settings, drug and alcohol interventions, and in corrections.

We're missing opportunities to identify domestic violence perpetrators. This is what needs to change Shutterstock We're missing opportunities to identify domestic violence perpetrators. This is what needs to change Nicola Helps, Kate Fitz-Gibbon, Monash University Published: February 2, 2023 12.49pm AEDT Identifying perpetrators of domestic and family violence is critical to ending violence against...

Some of the highlights from our 2022 Impact Report: