Family violence: Call for ‘real men’ in regions to stand up for women

Difficult conversations regarding the role of men in tackling high rates of regional family violence are essential in addressing the issue, a prominent Nationals MP says.

Regional men need to stand up and help end violence against women in regional areas, prominentfederal Nationals MP Darren Chester says.

The Gippsland MP’s call comes as rural and regional organisations push for better government and community responses to family violence in the regions, with almost half of the 28 women killed violently so far this year based in regional Australia.

Crime Statistics Agency data shows East Gippsland was the number one location for family incidents in 2023, with 1783 recorded incidents or 3609.8 per 100,000 population.

The Gippsland shires of Latrobe and Wellington were also in the top 10 locations for family incidents.

In an open letter penned in response to weeks of rallying and social commentary, Mr Chester called on men in his Gippsland electorate to step up.

“It’s time for the ‘real men’ to stand up and help end the violence against women in our community,” he wrote.

“We can’t wait for more talkfests in Canberra, our challenge is for men across Gippsland to listen, believe, and stand alongside women as we find our own local solutions.”

In the wake of weeks of rallying and calls for more support, National Party Member for Gippsland Darren Chester has called on ‘real men’ to step up and work to prevent domestic violence. Picture: Supplied.

Analysis by The Weekly Times revealed family violence and repeated sexual abuse is affecting country women and children far greater than their metro counterparts.

Rural women are being attacked and hospitalised 12-fold more than in the city, while Crime Statistics Agency data reveals 19 of the 20 Victorian local government areas with the highest rates of family incidents were all regional or rural, with almost a quarter of LGAs recording an upward trend in reports in the past five years.

Mr Chester’s letter called on men to have tough and “extremely difficult” conversations to tackle a culture where women were objectified, and often subjected to predatory behaviour, sexist jokes or remarks.

Darren Chester, Federal Member for Gippsland, has penned an open letter calling on rural men to "stand up" against domestic violence in the region. Picture: Supplied.

“Some of the conversations we need to have as men across Gippsland may be extremely difficult and feel awkward but it’s vastly better than continuing the current trend,” Mr Chester wrote.

Mr Chester’s comments come amid rising groundswell in rural circles. The Country Women’s Association NSW branch this week passed a unanimous urgent motion for measures to help counter rising rates of violence.

The motion calls for amendments to the NSW Bail Act to change the presumption of bail provisions to a default against bail for domestic and family violence offences.