‘Men can lead the change’: Brisbane Lions join call for men to step up on family violence

The Brisbane Lions have joined the cause for men to take the lead in eliminating violence against women.

Thanks to the drive from local charity Beyond DV, the AFL stars would add their voices to the campaign, alongside Australia’s top Family Court judge.

Will Alstergren, the chief justice of the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia, said he was speaking out on Monday, as the Lions returned to training at Springfield, because the start of the holiday season always brought a surge in family violence.

Left to right: Lions co-captain Harris Andrews, Lions CEO Greg Swann, Beyond DV’s Carolyn Robinson and chief justice Will Alstergren.

“We need men to play their part in changing this culture of disrespect and violence against women,” he said at the event, which also marked the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and the start of UN Women’s 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence.

“Men can lead the change for other men and pave the way forward to a positive and accountable future.

“Male leaders, family members, colleagues, mates and team members need to step up, because prevention driven by individual members of the community can have the dual benefit of preventing violence in one’s own circle, but also changing community attitudes, one person at a time.”

According to Australian Femicide Watch, 86 women have allegedly been killed by men in Australia this year. Authorities estimate that one in four women have experienced violence from an intimate partner, with the perpetrators overwhelmingly male.

Since hosting a national symposium in April, the chief justice has recruited prominent Australians – including Hugh Jackman, Eric Bana, Travis Fimmel, Usman Khawaja, Hamish Blake and Vance Joy – to record messages against violence, targeted at young men and boys.

A preview of their video was shown at the event on Monday, but the final version will feature in a campaign for Queensland’s Domestic and Family Violence Prevention month next May, with the support of Beyond DV and the Lions.

“In my view, we need a national campaign, similar to what we did to drastically reduce smoking and drink-driving in this country – to really send the message to the community, and men in particular, that family violence is just not on,” Alstergren said.

Beyond DV founder Carolyn Robinson praised Alstergren’s approach and thanked the Lions for their support.

“We’ve got a long-standing relationship with the Lions who have, in my opinion, been a leader in the space and are always willing to come on board with our ideas,” Robinson said.

“We all have a part to play and if we can get males in the community standing up and calling out unacceptable behaviour and role modelling appropriate and healthy behaviour, then we really feel it’s going to make a big difference.”

Lions co-captain Harris Andrews and chief executive Greg Swann echoed Alstergren and Robinson’s call to amplify positive male voices.

“As professional athletes, we can play a very important role in society to help eliminate domestic and family violence,” Andrews said.

If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault, family or domestic violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit www.1800RESPECT.org.au. In an emergency, call 000.