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Scoping Day for IDAHO 2010

// December 8th, 2009 // No Comments » // AVP news, Within Victoria

Today is the initial Scoping Day for next year’s International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO) – May 17, 2010.

Community organisations from around Victoria will meet at City Village, 225 Bourke Street to start to scope the range of activities and community partnerships that will form the backbone to a state-wide IDAHO response in 2010.

The meeting kicks off at 4pm, Tuesday December 8, 2009, at the 10th Floor, City Village, 225 Bourke Street, Melbourne – lift to the 9th floor where community partner, Joy 94.9 is situated, then stairs to the Kulin Room on Level 10.

For further information or to register your interest, please email the AVP by clicking here or telephone the executive director +61407664442

World AIDS Day, December 1st

// December 1st, 2009 // No Comments » // AVP news, Around the globe, Within Australia, Within Victoria

The AVP in Victoria has urge everyone in the LGBT and heterosexual communities in Victoria to commit to fighting prejudice and protect ourselves and others around HIV, this World AIDS Day.

The AVP marked the arrival of World AIDS Day, December 1st, by urging everyone in the LGBT community in Victoria to commit to three basic actions:-
(1) partner with the heterosexual community to fight prejudice and discrimination each time this violence rears its ugly face, and
(2) protect yourself and others around HIV.

“Our commitment, from today on, is to work more closely with People Living with HIV/AIDS (Victoria) to move these goals into strategies and to encourage discussions about ending HIV discrimination within our gay community and outside in the straight world”, said AVP head Greg Adkins.

“When one person living with HIV experiences discrimination, then that is one person too many.

“Likewise when one additional HIV negative person becomes HIV positive, that is also one person too many”, he said.

The AVP will be meeting with Positive Speakers Bureau Coordinator, Max Niggle next week to get discussions between the two organisations under way. The AVP has also invited PLWHA (Vic) to play an important role in a major LGBT Scoping Meeting for the 2010 International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO) taking place next week, in which LGBT organisations and key groups from the broader community will meet on December 8th at 4pm in the Kulin Room, level 10, City Village, 225 Bourke Street, Melbourne. This meeting will commence planning activities for Victoria leading up to the next IDAHO on May 17th, 2010.

The AVP’s third action is to support calls for all gay and bisexual men and people living with HIV in the LGBT community to renew their support for ending HIV discrimination by investigating the Barometer Survey, launched today as joint project of the Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations (AFAO) and the National Centre in HIV Social Research (NCHSR). The Barometer Survey is an online questionnaire about stigma and discrimination related to HIV. It focuses on experiences of stigma by people living with HIV, and the potentially stigmatising attitudes of HIV-negative gay men. As participants navigate this site they will find themselves routed to different sets of questions based on their HIV status and sexuality.

The Barometer Survey is at www.afao.org.au/barometer

For further information about the AVP in Victoria, please contact Executive Director, Greg Adkins, 0407664442

Generation Next continues Community Safety Month partnership!

// October 2nd, 2009 // 3 Comments » // AVP news, Within Victoria

A huge team of presenters and guests contributed to the JOY 94.9 “Generation Next” program’s Community Safety Month activities on Tuesday 6 October. This great show was the latest of the many radio programs shaping up to challenge and promote community discussion during Community Safety Month in Victoria – part of the three-way partnership between JOY 94.9, the Anti Violence Project and Victoria Police.

Hosts Micah, Kyle and Petro anchored the “Generation Next” show and were joined by Aden and Amber, two participants on the Q&A Victoria, Young Emerging Leaders program, Mark Camilleri from Family Planning Victoria’s Action Centre and the YAK group, as well as Region One Gay and Lesbian Liaison Officer, Gabby Tyacke and AVP head Greg Adkins. A podcast will be available online soon so check back here for details.

The Community Safety Month partnership launch took place on 1 October with a four-hour live broadcast from the Victoria Police Media Centre during which Chief Commissioner Simon Overland announced he would be marching in the next Pride March, shoulder to shoulder with his police officers, building on the strong relationship built by his predecessor, former Chief Commissioner Christine Nixon, further growing the strong and trusting relationships between Victoria Police and the GLBT community. Listen to Chief Commissioner Overland’s interview here.

A prequel to Community Safety Month took place with the “Been there Done That” show on JOY 94.9 on Wednesday 30 September at 11am – stay tuned for the podcast details so you can listen in.

Additionally, the “Hide & Seek” program with Dean and James overnight on the 5 and 6 October showcased their Community Safety Month program going to air live at 11pm on 19 October (covering sexual assault amongst other issues). Tune in to JOY 94.9 for the next show in the Community Safety Month schedule http://joy.org.au/listenlive

Bookmark this page for further information about the many other programs taking place in October within the Victoria Police, JOY 94.9 and Anti Violence Project partnership.

Local push for gays to report violence underway

// September 30th, 2009 // No Comments » // AVP news

Stonnington Leader journalist Kate Bruce-Rosser reports on the AVP campaign to encourage reporting of violence in a localised pilot involving gay venues in South Yarra/Prahran (Market Hotel’s John Wain and AVP head Greg Adkins pictured).

Check out her article here.

Law changes target hate motivated crime – follow-up now needed

// September 24th, 2009 // 3 Comments » // AVP news, Media discussion, Within Victoria

The GLBT community and state government have joined forces support Sentencing Act changes aimed to tackle crimes motivated by hatred or prejudice. Now the discussion commences about long-term follow-up action and funding for the Anti Violence Project.

Attorney General Rob Hulls views this as “where the motivation for a crime was hatred or prejudice, or victims are targeted by offenders because of the offender’s prejudice, or their conduct indicated that prejudice was the motivation, the courts will specifically take that into account when sentencing.”

Follow this discussion currently running in the two GLBT weekly print publications:-
Victoria Targets Gay Hate Crimes, reported by Rachel Cook in the MCV.

GLBT community has also questioned how effective the measure will be without it being underpinned by increased levels of reporting of violence, and government committment to follow-up action. Read Andie Noonan’s article Hate Crime Laws May Not Work in Southern Star.

Numerous reports and research papers have backed up calls over recent years for the AVP to be funded to provide long-term and generational change through an expansion in their currently volunteer-driven work addressing violence within and against Victoria’s GLBT community.

Stonnington Council and GLBT community renew their relationship addressing violence

// September 15th, 2009 // 2 Comments » // AVP news, Incidents, Within Victoria

AVP head Greg Adkins and Stonnington Council staff today met to renew the relationship between Stonnington and the GLBT community. Manager of the Police Gay & Lesbian Liaison Unit, Scott Davis, was also in attendance.

The AVP had requested this meeting following documentation of violence against the GLBT community in the Chapel Street precinct of the South Yarra/Prahran area. Initial GLBT community concerns stemmed from a delay in information of the Stonnington Assaults making its way through Council processes. Council staff then initiated today’s meeting. The AVP will now present at the local Liquor Accord agenda meeting in October with a view to them meeting with the full Accord committee a week later.

AVP head Greg Adkins said that he looked forward to introducing the Accord to a trial project commencing later this week in partnership with local gay venues. “Heaven’s Door” owner Brian Frewin and the “Market” manager John Wain are part of a trial which will look at providing training for security staff to encourage and support patrons to report violence to police and then, when safe, to the Anti Violence Project via their online violence reporting process.

“The AVP is trialling signage for the venues supporting the reporting of violence and identifying the GLBT training that staff have undertaken. We hope to extend this into the current Brunswick hot-spot also as part of the trial,

“We will then encourage local government to come on board to take the initiative further to its next stage.”

New AVP site online!

// June 4th, 2009 // No Comments » // AVP news, Uncategorized

Welcome to the Anti Violence Project of Victoria Inc. and our new website. Our new Violence Reporting Service is now online.

To get involved with VicAVP please email here or telephone the Convenor/EO on 0407664442 (within Australia) or +61407664442 (International).