Our Watch Releases Change the Story, 2nd Edition

Change the story outlines the essential actions needed to address gendered drivers of violence to stop it before it starts. before it starts.

Change the story has been updated to ensure it remains a robust, evidence-based framework that is comprehensive, reflects the most current knowledge, is accessible and user friendly.

Key elements of the second edition include:

• An emphasis that violence against women is not an individual problem but a deep, cultural, structural and systemic issue. The updated framework makes clear that we must go beyond addressing individual behaviours to consider the broader social, political and economic factors that drive violence.
• An increased focus on men as perpetrators of violence, detailing the connection between harmful forms of masculinity, gender inequality and violence against women, and highlighting the need to engage men in prevention work.
• Increased focus on addressing other intersecting forms of discrimination, alongside gender inequality, to prevent violence, such as racism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia, and colonialism.
• Key messages and learnings from the Changing the picture, the national framework for preventing violence against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women.

You can download Change the story and other useful resources at www.ourwatch.org.au/change-the-story/

The Tasmanian Government and Our Watch

The Tasmanian Government has been a proud member of Our Watch since 2015 and Safe Homes, Families, Communities: Tasmania’s action plan for family and sexual violence 2019-2022 includes a nation-first partnership that established the Our Watch Senior Advisor Tasmania.

This partnership has provided a unique opportunity to learn from leading prevention practice across the country, to adopt the Our Watch evidence base, including key frameworks like Change the story, and to apply these to suit the needs of our Tasmanian community.

Change the story highlights that primary prevention activity can and must take place in every part of our community; our workplaces, schools, community groups and sporting clubs, our governments, TAFEs, universities, and media. The Our Watch Senior Advisor is working with stakeholders across these settings to build primary prevention capacity, capability and expertise in Tasmania.

The Government also recognises that as Tasmania’s largest employer, the Tasmanian State Service must show leadership in this area, which is why we have committed to implementing the Our Watch Workplace Equality and Respect Standards across all Government departments.

As an Our Watch member, the Tasmanian Government is helping to realise the vision of an Australia where women and their children live free from all forms of violence.