The highlight for March was the coming together of all the teams from across the state for the annual All-Staff event. Held at the beautiful Crystalbook Bailey in Cairns, this year’s two day event was a remarkable combination of discussion, workshops, personal insights, hilarious activities and fascinating guest speakers.
The teams arrived into Cairns over the course of Monday, 18th March when 45 staff, their partners and Board Members made themselves at home in the comfortable, well-appointed rooms, ready for the workshop the following morning.
At Head Office, things were abuzz as Lizzie, Jenny and the head office team made final preparations for the event, ferrying everything across to the Bailey late on Monday afternoon.
The start of the All-Staff event began early on Tuesday with registrations and the traditional photocall before the event’s Master of Ceremonies Yodie Batzke opened the proceedings, with Hendrick Fourmile providing the Welcome to Country.
What followed was an insightful and fascinating session named ‘Let’s have a yarn with the Board’, where the Board Members, assembled together at the front of the room, gave their personal stories and motivations for serving on the QIFVLS Board.
Communications Officer Andrew Keable then engaged the room in a short workshop to explore a possible future rebranding of the QIFVLS name.
Guest speaker, Retired Supreme Court Judge Stanley Jones AO took the podium next to deliver a thought-provoking presentation on how the effects of trauma on a child’s brain can change a young person’s cognitive development and future life trajectory. In a open-forum discussion, Board Member Marlene Longbottom used her academic research in this field to expand on a number of Judge Jones’ points.
After lunch, Meanjin and Darumbal provided their office updates and the room, divided into their tables, competed in two hilarious activities: ‘Balls Anyone’ and then ‘The Amazing Race Challenge’, run again for the second year. Soaking rain was no hinderance to the QIFVLS Amazing Race Teams who, dressed in their white ponchos, startled more than a few Cairns tourists as they darted from one location to the the next, collecting clues, objective items and selfies along the way.
Five teams competed in this year’s Amazing Race Challenge but only one could win. This year it was the team of Shay-Leigh Mow, Taylah McCarthy, Stephanie Clutterbuck, Mandy Tedeschi and Isabella Copetti that brought home the trophy with the winning combination of both a fast time and all of the objective items.
The team met up for drinks, finger food and live music in a privately booked event space at Cairn’s Elixr Music House on Tuesday night, where awards were shared across the Deadly, Community Service, Wellbeing, Highest Achieving Office, Support Service and Advocacy categories.
Day 2 and Waiben, Ichuru and Yidinji offices provided their team’s updates. Then a sad and heartfelt farewell to Aunty Bino Toby was shared. Wynetta, Thelma and Members of the Board all offering their personal recollections and tributes to a much treasured member of the QIFVLS family who is moving on to the next chapter of her rich life.
Policy Officers Kulumba Kiyingi and Esther Tambo took the stage to present an update on the National Agreement: Closing the Gap. The data in their presentation clearly showed that while progress is being made in some areas, too many commitments are still falling well short of the mark. A complacent ‘business as usual’ approach by the many of signatories to the National Agreement was evident in Kulumba’s and Esther’s presentation.
That morning, the room was treated to the second guest speaker of the event – Legal Ethics Specialist Shane Budden, who discussed a wide range of potential ethical dilemmas and solutions. Both the QIFVLS lawyers and Case Management Officers were impressed and educated by this relevant session.
The last official event of the 2024 All-Staff event was a totem painting exercise hosted by local First Nations artist Susan Reys. The room was asked to identify their particular totem (animal) and to interpret that in paint, with the helpful guidance of Susan and her examples. The results showed a wonderful, personal and diverse range of interpretations, as individual as the mix of personalities and backgrounds in the room.
March saw the important passage into law of the criminalisation of coercive control in Queensland, making it a criminal offence and a legally enforceable act of domestic violence against another person.
In the time between the bill passing and its commencement date, urgent upskilling and training will be required for all frontline service responders such as police. While citing the bill as landmark legislation in overcoming domestic and family violence, QIFVLS has consistently and publicly voiced concerns about its potential for unintended consequences, specifically for the over-criminalisation of Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander women who use retaliatory violence.
An extensive education campaign will be essential prior to the legislation commencing which tackles the wider lack of understanding about coercive control, both in communities and amongst first responders.
Thelma Schwartz, QIFVLS’ Principal Legal Officer, who has been championing the criminalisation of coercive control for years said: ‘Traditionally, it’s been an area of law that has always been very hard to prove. It’s easier to prove a physical bruise or a broken bone than to prove that someone, over the course of a relationship, has been overpowering your free will and controlling all of your actions and movements.
An example of coercive control would be if someone over the course of the relationship removes your debit card and then demands that you ask for their permission every time you make a cash withdrawal or need to use your debit card for purchases. And when you do take money from your account, you had to give that money to the other person, even though the debit card was in your name. Or they might say “Here is $200. You can only use this to do shopping, but you need to account for every single item on that shopping list and for every cent spent.”
This insidious behaviour can extend to every part of the victim-survivor’s life, including access to their phone: “I want to see who you’ve been calling/messaging today and who is this person? Why are you contacting them?”
Other practices include someone being stopped from leaving their house without permission or being bombarded with questions as to who they are visiting and why are they wearing certain clothes. It normally ends with the victim-survivor being totally cut off from their social circles and family.
The person who is under these behaviors has every facet of their life controlled. They are told what to wear, what not to wear, what to eat, what not to eat. They can then be isolated from friends and family so the only person they have left in their life is the perpetrator’
Coercive control is non physical violence, which is why education is so essential.
With the passing of this law, it is incumbent upon the QLD Government to ensure that the broader community, and more specifically Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, understand their rights and responsibilities.
In many cases, perpetrators of coercive control believe they are entitled to act and continue with this behaviour. This may be a cultural leftover from an earlier time when women were seen as property or chattels, or it may be a passed-down behaviour through families as sons (predominantly) mimic the brutality they witnessed growing up.
QIFVLS’ policy and advocacy team were hard at work throughout March and accomplished much,
as evidenced by the summary chart shown below.
OCM: Nash, let’s start at the start. Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Nash: I was born in Cloncurry. My dad’s Aboriginal, my mum’s white. We moved to Mt Isa when I was about eight and have been here ever since, so Mt Isa’s home. I loved growing up in a small town. Weekends used to be just following the river and exploring. I’ve got two brothers and one sister and I’m the second youngest.
I’m also a nanna. I’ve got one child and she’s my everything – her and my grand daughters, but they’re all currently living in Townsville.
OCM: And what about your career path?
Nash: I always wanted to to work somewhere where I could help ATSI people. I was a teacher’s aide for nine years, and in that role I worked one-on-one with indigenous kids who were low in literacy and numeracy. I really loved working with those kids but within a year I lost my dad, my mum and my partner, and it really changed me. I found I didn’t have the passion that I’d had before so I took about two years off and during that time I saw a lot of the kids that I had at primary school starting to get into trouble with the police and it really broke my heart. I wanted to get into somewhere where I could do more to start helping adults.
OCM: What studies did you need to do?
Nash: It was called Remote Area Teaching, and I got a teacher’s aide recognition out of it.
Then I joined QIFVLS and I’ve done the dual role of admin and case management officer from the start. But I’m very grateful to QIFVLS – they helped me to get my Cert IV in Business Administration in 2021.
OCM: So how long have you been with QIFVLS?
Nash: I started in 2018, so it will be six years this month.
OCM: That would make you one of our longest serving employees?
Nash: Yeah, I think Mandy’s a year in front of me. I love my job! But there’s some days where I get frustrated, especially with child protection, when we have the regulars that come back and it frustrates me because you’ve only just seen them a few months before and you have to start all over again.
I’m big on family and I look at it that Aboriginal people were big on kinship but over the years of I’m seeing that slowly dying because of alcohol, drugs and gambling.
OCM: How do you get supported by the lawyers and the rest of the team at the other offices?
Nash: Brandon (Begley) is my line manager. He’s based in Brisbane and touches base with me every day. I’ve been really lucky – all my managers and supervisors have been really, really good. I get to go to a lot of the other offices and do work there sometimes, like to Rocky and to the Townsville office.
OCM: As the only person currently in the Mt Isa office, do you feel a bit isolated?
Nash: Yeah, I do sometimes, but I often touch base with Karen Keane or Auntie Jude from the Cairns office will ring to see how I’m going. No one forgets about me.
OCM: What do you like about living and working in the Mt Isa region?
Nash: I guess it’s just connection to country. When I go to Townsville, I’m getting homesick after two weeks. I want be back in Isa to see the spinifex and the red earth. And yeah, I’m not happy until my eyes see the the sight of my country. And then I’ll pull up, get out, put my feet in the dirt and it’s like yeah, okay, I’m home now.
OCM: Thanks Nash.
When an individual or organisation makes a tax deductible donation to QIFVLS, they can be confident that their funds are going towards making a tangible difference to the safety and welfare of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experiencing or at risk of domestic and family violence.
Our team are grateful for all donations that help our not-for-profit organisation to continue offering this critical service. Donations of $1,000 or more help fund outreach services to some of Queensland’s most remote ATSI communities.
Are you in search of a rewarding profession that will take you on journeys through the breathtaking landscapes of Queensland? One that promises not only career advancement and skill enhancement, but also attractive perks, substantial travel allowances, and one-of-a-kind professional adventures? Are you drawn to a career that enables you to make a positive difference in the lives of others?
Look no further – your new career awaits you! At QIFVLS, we are dedicated to combating Family and Domestic Violence within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities. Our methods encompass education, advocacy, legal reform, court support, and casework assistance. By focusing on early intervention and prevention, our aim is to empower individuals impacted by Family Violence to regain control over their lives. We are in search of outstanding and dynamic individuals who can join us in achieving this mission.
If you envision yourself fitting into this scenario, we encourage you to see what’s available here.
