Timely deal saves anti-domestic violence charity White Ribbon Australia from liquidation

The timing is impeccable: anti-domestic violence charity White Ribbon has struck a deal which will see it resurrected.

It’s White Ribbon Day — and also the day the charity struck a deal which will see it continue its work.

The collapsed charity White Ribbon will be resurrected and “re-imagined” under the new ownership of a Perth-based organisation that pioneered the rehabilitation of male perpetrators.

The white ribbons of Australia’s most recognisable anti-domestic violence organisation adorned the lapels of prime ministers, sport stars and celebrities across the nation. But liquidators took over early last month after White Ribbon racked up well over $1m in losses in less than two years.

READ MORE: White Ribbon tied in costly knots | Charity’s demise blamed on spending |

On Friday, liquidators Worrells Solvency and Forensic Accountants announced that family and domestic violence group Communicare had agreed to acquire the various assets of White Ribbon, including its intellectual property.

The breakthrough meant White Ribbon would continue, though Communicare chief executive Melissa Perry indicated there might be significant change when she said White Ribbon would “go back to grassroots level”.

“There is an opportunity for us to reimagine what that looks like,” Ms Perry said.

“We need to be engaging boys and men in this conversation … we need more men and boys talking about this to other men and boys.”

While White Ribbon had advocated then retreated from a pro-choice stance on abortion, Ms Perry said Communicare believed ”it is a woman’s right to choose, we are very clear on that position”. She said this had not been a barrier in her organisation’s work with families from a range of backgrounds.

“If people don’t agree with it that’s okay,” she said.

“We are hearing people no matter what their views are.”

Communicare had mostly been known as a service provider for more than four decades. Ms Perry said that in 2018-19, the not-for-profit had a budget of $34m derived mostly from state and commonwealth funding, some grants and a small amount of fundraising.

Communicare opened Australia’s first residential facility for family violence perpetrators 16 years ago, Breathing Space. It runs two facilities in WA where men who have been violent live while undertaking a three-month behavioural change course. They can stay another three months while they get help to find work and accommodation.

The program was highly effective in preventing re-offending but also ensured that women and children who had been victims of violence did not have to leave the family home.

The deal will also see Communicare pick up and continue with White Ribbon’s workplace accreditation program, which had provided training to over 150 companies around Australia.

Worrells partner Aaron Lucan said the group had received 62 expressions of interest from groups interested in taking on the White Ribbon assets.

“It’s not often that a liquidator can work toward an outcome of benefit to the wider community as well as to creditors, so on a personal level this is a very pleasing result,” Mr Lucan said.

“Shortly after appointment we formed the view that White Ribbon Australia’s brand and commercialisation model were strong enough to self-fund its advocacy efforts, if the organisation formed part of a bigger, complementary enterprise ... we believe we’ve found such a partner in Communicare”.

White Ribbon had posted record high revenues of more than $6m in 2018, but a decision to move to a larger headquarters in North Sydney and rapid growth in its wages bill ultimately swamped the group’s bottom line.

White Ribbon had also suffered high rates of turnover in its leadership and had been embroiled in a series of controversies involving its ambassadors and board members. It had also attracted vocal criticism from several commentators who accused it of being a tokenistic organisation that sucked in financial support that would otherwise reach front-line charities supporting the victims of domestic violence.

Last month, Mr Lucan said there was no single “smoking gun” behind White Ribbon’s demise.

“Charities are a unique and challenging style of organisation to lead and manage, particularly when they grew revenues and operations as fast as White Ribbon,” Mr Lucan said at the time.