Thursday, 4 August 2022

Ballarat sexual assault survivors memorial

Mr GRIMLEY (Western Victoria) (10:36): Thanks to a unanimous vote and a funding commitment by the Ballarat City Council, the community is one step closer to a public art memorial to acknowledge survivors of sexual assault. Continuous Voices has driven this project, with support by the City of Ballarat in collaboration with the Ballarat Centre against Sexual Assault, Loud Fence, Care Leavers Australasia Network, the Art Gallery of Ballarat and Beyond Empathy. More than 50 survivors explored ideas for the appropriate location and design. The memorial will acknowledge the full scope of the suffering and trauma caused by all forms of sexual violence, hopefully aiding some healing and facilitating ongoing conversations about change. But the project will not go ahead if we do not have funding from the state and federal governments. I implore both to pitch in the remaining money to bring this memorial to life and to help victim-survivors of sexual abuse to move forward on the path to recovery.