She reports that Qmunity is spearheaded by three women from the northern suburbs, and it “will create a directory of businesses across Melbourne that welcome customers from the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex community”.

Check-out Tessa’s article here QMUNITY ARTICLE IN LEADER NEWSPAPERS. and if you’re a business wanting to get on board, look for Qmunity on Facebook through the Qmunity Facebook page.

AVP head Greg Adkins wrote to Colac-Otway CEO Rob Small, a director and judge of the world’s most livable cities, saying “We see your Council (as) being part of the solution. With your knowledge of what it takes for a city to be liveable, we are particularly interested in seeing Colac-Otway becoming liveable for the individuals who experience homophobic harassment and prejudice motivated violence and crime. Research shows that only one in ten incidents is being reported (in rural and regional parts of Victoria). Your Council are local leaders who should be part of the solution to the incident comedian Joel Creasey and many others experience in your patch”.

Colac-Otway Mayor, Cr Brian Crook has been asked by the AVP to become a local supporter of their new campaign to have a network of key people in rural and regional cities and towns in place as local “champions” with whom people experiencing homophobic harassment, prejudice and hate motivated crime, can access in assisting in them reporting to police, accessing information and support through the AVP help to create a greater understanding of what is taking place, where, when, how and by whom when it comes to perpetrators of homophobic harassment and violence.

“Homophobic harassment and prejudice motivated violence is underreported. Available data suggests only one person in ten experiencing violence in rural and regional parts of Victoria is telling anyone, be they police, a friend or family member or even a loved one”, said Greg Adkins.

““AVP Connect” is out now promoting how people can step-up to make a positive difference in the lives of people in towns just like Colac, Warrnambool and surrounds. The media commentary about the incident in the town in which you are the Mayor provides a great opportunity to build a vibrant and responsive support network accessible by people living with homophobic harassment and prejudice motivated crime, linked to individuals who too are champions for AVP Connect in their local towns. This is a chance to make a very real difference in local lives.” he said.

Adkins also raised with the Mayor the fact that people who abhor violence often sit back and don’t challenge homophobes “at the times they kick into gear”. He suggested that “AVP Connect”, linking with the Anti-Violence Project of Victoria Inc. can provides the platform for individuals who abhor violence and want to make a positive difference to be able to step-up in their local community. “Without these networks, violent people go unchallenged and individuals and their communities continue to get hurt”, AVP executive director Greg Adkins said.

People living in rural and regional areas seeking more information about “AVP Connect” or know friends and family who might step-up to make a difference, are asked to please email Zhitian Zhang at AVP zhitian@antiviolence.info and for more information about how you as Colac Mayor, and your council can step-up and become leaders in local government seeking to challenge homophobic harassment, prejudice and hate motivated violence and crime, I’d welcome you to directly contact me on 0407664442 or by email: greg@antiviolence.info

Adkins invited the whole Colac-Otway community to join their Council and step-up to make a difference on homophobic harassment and prejudice motivated violence and crime in their municipality and surrounding districts.

We join with the Victoria Attorney-General Robert Clark in acknowledging John Searle’s leadership skills, professional experience and ability to engage the community, as facets of the new VEOHRC chair which make him “well placed to fulfill the role” and see Mr Searl as well qualified to challenge discrimination in all its forms, wherever it rears its ugly head in Victoria.

“As President of the Jewish Community Council of Victoria Mr Searle fully understands the impact prejudice motivated crime and harassment have on community.  This links communities of culture, faith, sexuality and gender in the work that VEOHRC is charged to undertake”, said AVP executive director Greg Adkins.

“AVP looks forward to the VEOHRC under Mr Searle’s chair, becoming even more engaged with the issues impacting Victoria’s diverse LGBT and Allied community which in many ways lag behind multiculture and multi-faith community in infrastructure support and societal change measures to end discrimination and violence.”

For more information contact: Greg Adkins 0407664442 greg@antiviolence.info

AVP board member Jayne Monroe attended a private PMC Strategy briefing before its public launch at Melbourne Town Hall where she was joined by AVP Connect Project Worker Zhitian Zhang, the individual developing the AVP’s rural and regional violence reporting network.

Ms Monroe said she was delighted that the Strategy would now move into its next phase in which it is hoped an outcome would be the rapid formation of a Reference Group to connect existing and successful community-driven reporting mechanisms with the Strategy.

“We (the AVP) are looking forward to standing alongside multi-culture and multi-faith communities in building our existing successes into the Strategy and its outcomes. AVP is breaking down barriers to the reporting of prejudice motivated crime and this Strategy moves the bar another step in a positive direction”, Jayne Monroe added.

AVP Connect worker Zhitian Zhang said after the launch that the connection between the Police PMC Strategy and the AVP’s work in rural and regional areas was strong, especially around sharing knowledge and data on how existing community driven violence reporting mechanisms could inform police in their development of education resources that reach into all parts of the state via the PMC.

“Acting Chief Commissioner Ken Lay, speaking at the launch, clearly identified Victoria Police’s understanding that “trust”, as a factor, still limits the ability of people to report PMC to police. He will be relying on community organisations to continue delivering alternative reporting mechanisms, such as the AVP’s violence reporting service, in order to make the PMC Strategy successful. The AVP is actively expanding its activities across the state in response to this need”, he said.

AVP Executive Director, Greg Adkins said following the launch that brilliant initiatives such as this Victoria Police Prejudice Motivated Crime Strategy needed equally strong and publically funded community violence reporting and data collection processes handshaking with public policy strategies.

“AVP already provides the reporting mechanism from within the GLBTi communities but sadly these services are run without any government funding and limited due to available resource. “This PMC Strategy launch will re-focus public policy makers on the need to fund organisations such as AVP while we increase discussion within the GLBTi community about stepping-up and reporting prejudice motivated crime.

“We urge all people experiencing prejudice motivated violence and crime, or who have information about them, to call Police on 000 and when safe, contact the AVP via antiviolence.info” he said.

CHECK-OUT http://www.police.vic.gov.au/content.asp?Document_ID=32278 for further information or contact the AVP Executive Director greg@antiviolence.info

Project worker Zhitian Zhang has commenced developing this new and innovative initiative which will see Rural & Regional Victoria linked through a network of individuals who will support people experiencing homophobic harassment, prejudice and hate motivated crime, and encourage and support them to access the AVP and report their experiences.

The project aims to link local individuals from Rural and Regional locations into a state-wide network to provide individual reporting support while further developing systems to share information. Growing existing support structure and developing a network of new supports where none currently exist, is an additional priority aim underpinning this new AVP project.

AVP also intends to further enhance relationships between Victoria Police Gay & Lesbian Liaison Officers (GLLOs), general duties Police members based in rural and regional locations and the GLBT community that lives alongside them.

In the process, the known data collected by AVP on homophobic harassment, prejudice and hate motivated violence and crime will be expanded. AVP executive director Greg Adkins said “we are confident that momentum gained from this new AVP project will fit well with the new Victoria Police Prejudice and Hate Motivated Crime Strategy which they are shortly to launch.”

The first “phase” of work will see the AVP lead discussions across the Victorian rural and regional communities in developing a name for the project and initiating connections between individuals keen to participate as local “champions” in their home town or city.

Keen to become involved? Perhaps in your local town or city? Want more information?
Contact Zhitian at the AVP by emailing him at zhitian@antiviolence.info

(This project was announced as part of the International Day Against Homophobia 2011, on May 17th)

AVP head Greg Adkins said “If Mr Brumby is successfully re-elected at the 27 November state election, the $2.5million next-stage of the Labor government’s decade long commitment to celebrating diversity and ending discrimination and violence in our society will deliver:

• The establishment of a whole-of-government advisory committee on GLBTI issues
• Provision of $200,000 over four years to the Anti-Violence Project of Victoria to support victims of homophobia and help GLBTI people to report physical or verbal abuse or harassment
• An investment of $100,000 in a campaign to reduce homophobic harassment and highlight the contribution of GLBTI communities in Victoria
• Strengthening of laws against homophobic harassment

In addition a re-elected Brumby Labor Government would continue its support for same-sex attracted youth by:

• Providing $320,000 over four years to build on a pilot project to help combat homophobia in schools. This project, delivered through Gay and Lesbian Health Victoria, would develop and distribute quality resources to schools, provide professional development to staff to support students and school communities, help develop a whole-of-school approach to combating homophobia, and help develop students’ own networks and further builds on work by the government which is already underway;
• Establishing a $500,000 grants program over four years to help 10 projects a year provide a safe space for same-sex attracted youth, informal mentoring and peer support; and
• Investing $500,000 in a partnership with Gay and Lesbian Health Victoria, Sane and Headspace to train health professionals in helping same-sex attracted youth at risk of suicide

Further to this, the GLBTI community will be asked to step-up and determine what its “voice” would look like and where the provision of a GLBTI community voice will find a home, after the Brumby Government committed a further $100,000 a year for four years for a GLBTI peak body to represent the interests and act on behalf of the community.

The Anti-Violence Project notes that the Premier’s announcement is the first ever of this magnitude by a head of an Australian state or federal government setting-out a plan to deliver state-wide social policy initiatives to ensure that gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex individuals and communities are (in the Premier’s words) “safe, valued and respected.”

“Brumby’s GLBTI policy initiatives are further evidence that the ground has shifted politically in Victoria.  The AVP invite all other political parties to come on-board to support the Labor government’s  leadership in seeking to provide more support and a real voice for the GLBTI community.

Read the complete announcement from the Premier: More support and a real voice for the GLBTI community.

Respect Minister Justin Madden and host, Cabinet Secretary and MP for Prahran, Tony Lupton have put the issues driving homophobia and harassment firmly within the Respect Agenda at a GLBTI Respect Agenda Round Table held in Prahran on Thursday 23 September 2010 (check out the participants here).

Two clear messages came forward. Its the start of generational change. And more work will come to ensure the issues of respect impacting community groups are better aligned. Together can then partner with the government to continue to build respect into its whole-of-government work and state-wide strategy of building respect in Victoria.

Some members of the gay and lesbian community witnessed the assault and were encouraged to provide information to police by the AVP.

Police report that the men have all surrendered themselves after seeing themselves following media coverage of the incident.

Four of the five men involved in the assault have been interviewed over the past five days.

Malvern Police interviewed the first man, an 18-year-old from Frankston North after he surrendered himself to police at the Frankston Police Station on Friday 3 September.

An 18-year-old from Carrum Downs was arrested and interviewed on Sunday 5 September and two 15-year-old’s from Frankston North and Carrum Downs were interviewed on Tuesday 7 September.

A 17-year-old from Carrum Downs is expected to be interviewed by police in the coming days.

All five men have co-operated with police and assisted with enquiries.

They are expected to be charged on summons for assault related charges at a later date.

Victoria Police say that as a result of media coverage, a large number of witnesses also identified themselves and Police wish to thank the public and media for their assistance.