Child sexual abuse activist Tracy Phillips says she is fed up with “lip service” from politicians who have “shunned” her

A southeast Queensland incest and child abuse activist says she is fed up with lip service and empty promises from politicians and councils who have “silenced and shunned” her.

A southeast Queensland incest and child sexual abuse activist says she is fed up with politicians and councils “passing the buck” and “silencing” survivors who advocate for child abuse prevention, education and reform.

After watching Grace Tame’s recent National Press Club address, southeast Queensland advocate Tracy Phillips said she could not let the opportunity slip to continue raising noise on the issue.

“I cried through that. Grace and Brittany [Higgins] are both remarkable, brave women, who spoke to generations of us who got to hear the words we have all felt for so long,” she said.

“But even that hasn’t created enough of a stir, where’s it gone?”.

Ms Phillips last year launched the What About Us? campaign and shared the story of the “excruciating” sexual violence she was subjected to as a child by her father and the long-term consequences which have stayed with her.

Her campaign calls for immediate and achievable action to be taken on child abuse prevention, education and survivor-informed reforms to reporting policies and laws in Australia.

After gaining traction last year with the launch of the campaign and an online petition, Ms Phillips said she had been overwhelmed by the response and has been contacted by countless other survivors and advocates.

“I was concerned many of my social friends would be awkward and uncomfortable with me when the story did come out. Instead they cried, cheered, hugged me and many told their own personal stories of abuse.

“It is the whole reason we need to make the noise as loudly as possible, because there are so many carrying the pain and this secret through life and we have to stop allowing this abuse on children to happen.”

However the responses, or lack thereof, Ms Phillips has received from those in a position to help make change in the community has left her frustrated and feeling “silenced”.

Ms Phillips says many of her attempts to speak to or meet with several Queensland councillors, mayors, and state and federal MPs had been ignored or met with generic responses.

“I am getting much more vocal and becoming angry at the consistent push-back and reluctance by change-makers to get on board with this.

“In light of the recent National Press [Club] conference nothing has angered or resonated with me, or the many others who stand with me, more than the meaningless dialogue, sidestepping, circumventing and shunning I have received from councils since my letters to each of the mayors in Queensland,” she said.

“We are all still hoping this builds momentum and doesn’t fade, get hushed or buried like always before.”

Ms Phillips agreed with Ms Tame’s comment that the federal government’s approach to social issues included “empty announcements, false hope and deliberate spin tactics designed to satiate the press and general public.”

“I don’t think I have ever experienced it more than trying to fight this cause,” Ms Phillips said.

“Trying to prise the door open on this subject or get dedicated action has been a journey of rejection and dismissiveness.

“When an advertising company flatly refuses to take your money because they believe the subject is too controversial, a subject about preventing harm to children, it says a great deal.”

Child abuse and incest survivor and advocate Tracy Phillips is campaigning to reform child sexual abuse prevention and education in Australia.

Ms Phillips said almost every council, mayor and state or federal MP she contacted had ignored her, “passed the buck” and told her it’s the responsibility of another department or level of government, or talked about meetings which never eventuated.

She said she wrote to the Logan and Sunshine Coast councils, asking to be referred to the right avenues for help in obtaining support, sponsorship or community funding through grant projects or discretionary councillor funds, as she has ties to both regions.

“I wrote to the Logan City Mayor, Darren Power and councillor Tony Hall in September last year.

“While I did not even receive a courtesy response from Tony Hall, Mayor Darren Power sent my enquiry to a Community Safety Officer, who eventually made contact and confirmed as a former police woman, that she knew all too well the seriousness of the situation and the heinous crime I was trying to get addressed, but apparently the council, she advised, were unable to assist me.

“They could or would not help me promote the prevention and protection of children by way of funding for billboards, promotional tools or in any other way.

“This was despite the Logan City Council priding itself on its Community Safety Program and Councillor Discretionary Funding, which allows funds to be allocated at the councillor’s discretion to not-for-profit community organisations for community purposes and the delivery of community-based crime prevention initiatives”.

After emailing Sunshine Coast Mayor Mark Jamieson on September 19, 2021, Ms Phillips was told two days later that he would be referring her request to the “relevant operational area within council.”

As of February 21 Ms Phillips said she had received no further response from the Sunshine Coast Regional Council despite following up via email four times between September and December.

Ms Phillips’ initial email to the Sunshine Coast Mayor was sent shortly after Child Protection Week, during which he supported a campaign that encouraged locals to get involved in the issue and which had the message “Child protection is everybody’s business”.

A Sunshine Coast Council spokesperson said the relevant department was not always able to respond immediately, and council sincerely apologises to Ms Phillips for the delay in responding directly, after the Mayor’s office acknowledged and passed on Ms Phillips’ concerns.

Ms Phillips said the door was “slammed shut” on her as she tried to access help, not only by the local councils but by the several state and federal MPs she contacted.

She said after attempting to contact the Minister for Justice, Women and the Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence Shannon Fentiman to organise a meeting she received a response welcoming her to continue advocating, but no mention of a meeting.

Ms Phillips said MP Brent Mickelberg told her he would try to organise a meeting with Ms Fentiman and MP Leanne Linard on her behalf, which both ministers’ offices say they have no record of.

Ms Fentiman told Quest Newspapers she would “welcome the opportunity to meet with Tracy and (I) have provided contact details for my Senior Policy Advisor who will be in touch to arrange a meeting.”

“I have asked my Senior Policy Advisor to follow this up with Tracy as a priority.”

Ms Phillips said she also contacted several other councils including Ipswich City Council’s Mayor Teresa Harding and Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner, who advised “he acknowledged her request” but has provided no further communication.

Child abuse and incest survivor and advocate Tracy Phillips is campaigning to reform child sexual abuse prevention and education in Australia.

“This is the push back, burying of the issue women and victims have had to deal with forever,” she said.

“The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse final report came out in 2017 and had already provided the aims and recommendations.

“Now, five years later, the National Strategy aims to establish a national approach which it wants to achieve over the next 10 years.

“Where is the urgency?”

In response Response an Ipswich Council spokesperson said at this stage, no application had been submitted for any Councillor Discretionary Funds from Tracy Phillips or her organisation, What About Us.

“Council receives applications for Councillor Discretionary Funds online and our records indicate there are no applications in either name in the last financial year or the current financial year,” they said.

“Should Ms Phillips wish to make a funding application, this would most certainly be considered by council.”

Ms Phillips said there needed to be more survivor representation, adding that of the original 12 people on the Queensland Truth, Healing and Reconciliation Taskforce only three had lived experience with child abuse and all were related to offences at institutions.

“Where were the victims and survivors of incest, of child sex exploitation?” Ms Phillips said.

“I knew this topic would be difficult to campaign on, but the resistance isn’t coming from the public who are happy to support, wear stickers on their cars, and even hold fundraising events.

“The resistance is coming from the change-makers.”