Women Educating Each Other and Women in Safe and Equal Relationships Peer Educators Graduation

Dr ANDREW McDONALD (Macquarie Fields) [5.43 p.m.]: Governments have a clear responsibility to make sure that domestic violence is not tolerated. Everybody is entitled to the right of safety. As a paediatrician, I know that much domestic violence remains unreported. For this reason it was with great pleasure that I attended the Women Educating Each Other and Women In Safe and Equal Relationships [WEEO WISER] peer educators graduation at John Edmondson High School in my electorate in July in the presence of the Minister for Women, the Hon. Verity Firth. WEEO WISER is a young women's peer education program developed by the Liverpool Women's Health Centre with funding from the New South Wales Government's Western Sydney Area Assistance Scheme.

The aim of WEEO WISER is to equip young women with knowledge, skills and attitudes to reject abusive relationships and to expect healthy, safe and equal relationships. The WEEO WISER graduation day was a special day. WEEO WISER uses a program of five workshop sessions targeted at year 9 students. These are facilitated by trained peer education workers who have nine full days of education. The sessions reflect and build upon the year 9 curriculum. There is a network of specifically trained support people who are themselves experienced local professionals. These support people provide support and debriefing to the peer educators. There is also an evaluation framework through the University of Sydney. Peer education has been validated as an approach to reducing domestic violence and it helps young women to support each other.

Aunty Norma Shelley, an elder from the Gandangara Local Aboriginal Land Council, opened the day. The John Edmondson High School choir sang beautifully, conducted by Danielle Craig with Christian Shaw on the piano. Eden Markna and Jaimey Burgess were the soloists. Margaret Hickie, the centre co-ordinator of Liverpool Women's Health Centre, is to be congratulated for driving this project. Sonia Hoffmann, the project co-ordinator, is a wonderful role model for our community and has done a fantastic job for our people. Angela Barker, who had travelled from Victoria, spoke of the impact of domestic violence on young women's lives. This was a brilliant speech. Angela was severely injured as a result of domestic violence when she was aged 16. She spent nine months in a coma and is now wheelchair dependent. Angela is the star of the DVD that is used in the peer educators program to commence discussion on domestic violence. She hoped that by building self-esteem and teaching young women about the cycle of violence that she could make a difference to the lives of many in our community.

Rosemary Hamon, the counsellor from Ashcroft High School, also spoke about the benefit of the program. Ashcroft High School piloted the program and the dancers from Ashcroft High School accompanied the presentation with a dance that they had developed that morning. Rosemary Hamon spoke about the evaluation and especially about the increased confidence of those that did the project. Many thought that every year 9 student should do it. As Hanna Brown, one of the students said, "There is always a way out of the maze", and this fitted the experience of those who had done the WEEO WISER course.

The Minister, Verity Firth, repeated the message of the day, which was that the Government's clear view is that domestic violence will not be tolerated. The New South Wales Government is providing $28 million over four years for the victims of domestic violence. Police can now impose a 24-hour interim apprehended violence order and can apply for an apprehended violence order on behalf of those who feel too intimidated to do so. The views of peers are central to the way young people live. The WEEO WISER program costs $80,000 annually and funding is available only for the next six months. I look forward to working with my community in obtaining any funding to make it sustainable in the longer term, as WEEO WISER is a brilliant program for our future. I commend WEEO WISER to the House.