March 4 Justice: Albury Wodonga, Mildura, Ballarat, Bendigo join push for sex violence reforms

Regional cities joined the March 4 Justice, with some calling the lack of action against gendered violence a ‘national disgrace’.

Outraged women and men gathered across regional centres in support of the March 4 Justice rally demanding action against gendered violence and sex assault.

Rallies in Albury, Mildura and Ballarat mirrored the Melbourne CBD march — which drew a crowd of 1200 people at Alfred Deakin Place.

Hundreds of people gathered at Albury’s QEII Square donning red scarfs and signs expressing “enough is enough”.

Step Up Albury-Wodonga Founder Judy Langridge, who co-organised the regional event, said women weren’t going to be quiet.

“We’re not going to fade away with some nice words and a lack of action,” Ms Langridge said.

“We’re going to continue to rise, we’re not going to be silent anymore.

“We’re very angry, we’re very triggered, we’re very sick and tired of talking about it.”

Women and men of all ages turn up in support of the Albury March 4 Justice.

Albury deputy mayor Amanda Cohn said the March 4 Justice was asking for four major reforms.

These reforms include a full independent investigations into all matters of gendered violence and timely referrals to appropriate authorities with full public accountability for the findings.

The full implementation of the 55 recommendations in the Australian Human Rights Commission’s report of the national inquiry into sexual assault in Australian workplaces.

More public funding for gendered violence prevention, and for the enactment of a Federal gender equality act to promote gender equality, which should include a gender equality audit of parliamentary practices.

“Imagine if we saw our leaders pursue the perpetrators of violence against women with the same fervour as they pursued the people who put needles in strawberries,” Dr Cohn said.

“The thing that really frightened and upset people about the needles in the strawberries was the surprise that something that should be safe in our own homes might be able to hurt us …

“We must not only educate boys about consent and respectful relationships, but we must show them perpetrators being held accountable.”

Ballarat Community Alliance co-chair Ange Elson said: “Everybody knows someone who was sexually assaulted or raped, or has experienced workplace harassment, it is everywhere,” she said.

“Enough is enough, and there‘s an energy that things need to start changing, and if you are not with us, then just get out of the way.”

Ms Elson said people had been “significantly triggered,” with a broad cross-section of the community and a ”lot” of men supporting the march in solidarity of women being safe.

“From school students to feminists who got kicked out of the workplace in their 20s, there were old ladies in their 70s with walking sticks, that was a pretty intense visual,” she said.

Mildura march organiser Krystyna Schweizer, Mildura Deputy Mayor Helen Healy and Member for Mildura Ali Cupper. Picture: Michael DiFabrizio

While in Mildura about 35 people, including five of town’s nine councillors and Independent state MP Ali Cupper, attended a March 4 Justice gathering outside the office of Federal Nationals Member for Mallee Anne Webster.

A petition calling for accountability and transparency, to be handed to Dr Webster, was circulated.

Dr Webster, who met with protesters in Canberra, said she would present the petition to Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack.

She said she shared many of the concerns raised by protesters.

“We must do better, and now is the time,” Dr Webster said.

Ms Cupper told the crowd parliament should be a safe place.

Ms Cupper criticised the response to Brittany Higgins’ alleged rape in parliament and the Prime Minister’s support for Attorney-General Christian Porter.

“I want to offer a new way of thinking for people like the Prime Minister for when things like this happen,” she said.

“We need beyond reasonable doubt to be the standard of proof for sending someone to jail for a crime, I don‘t disagree with that.
Ms Cupper said men concerned about the possible impact of accusations should consider what it’s like for women.

Women and men of all ages turn up in support of the Albury March 4 Justice.

“If you feel that sense – ‘Oh my God, what if I was wrongfully accused?’ – you should think about the sense we have to live with every single day, which is, ‘What if I was raped? What if I’m raped and no one believes me?’”

Mildura deputy mayor Helen Healy said one in four women in Australia will know sexual abuse or harassment by the time they are 20.

Cr Healy said in recent days she had spoken with a woman who did not get justice after a rape and another who was still recovering from the impact of child sexual abuse.

“We all have to say, ‘enough is enough’,” Cr Healy said.

“We have to have these conversations, men and women, to call it out, to change the system, to change the toxic culture which allows this to happen and everybody to stay quiet.”

Fellow Mildura councillors Stefano de Pieri, Mark Eckel, Cyndi Power and Jodi Reynolds were in the crowd, while Mayor Jason Modica posted support for the march on social media.

More than 100 people turned up to Bendigo’s March 4 Justice in Rosalind Park, organised by the central Victorian Centre for Non Violence and the Centre Against Sexual Assault.

Greater Bendigo Coalition for Gender Equity chair Sue Clarke said Bendigo survivors and their allies were at the rally to demand justice for crimes against women in the workplace, including parliament.

She said the Bendigo rally was joining the national cry for change, and supported the push for the four reforms put forward by the movement.