The Walk Against Family Violence is fast approaching. Meet the speakers and performers you can look forward to seeing at this year's event.
Emcee: Courtney Ugle
The Walk will be hosted by Courtney Ugle, a proud Noongar woman from Bunbury, Western Australia, who has transformed personal tragedy into a mission of hope, healing, and big dreams. She is the founder of Waangkiny, a social enterprise dedicated to empowering communities and fostering change through storytelling.
Growing up in an environment marked by domestic violence, Courtney has faced significant challenges that have fueled her vision and purpose. She is driven to be a voice for those whose stories need to be told and heard, breaking cycles and creating ripples of change to inspire others to find their strength.
Antoinette Braybrook AM, Djirra
For over two decades Antoinette Braybrook AM has worked at the frontline of Aboriginal women’s safety as the CEO of Djirra, a position she has held since the service was established in 2002. Antoinette is a highly regarded advocate and public speaker, who gives voice at state, national and international levels, to Aboriginal women who have experienced family violence.
Victim Survivors' Advisory Council
We’ll hear from three members of the Victim Survivors’ Advisory Council (VSAC); a collective of diverse people from across Victoria with lived experience of family and sexual violence that ensure they are consulted in the family violence reform program.
Suze is a proud Ngarrindjeri woman and mother. She has been on VSAC, Koorie Caucus and Dhelk Dja partnership forum. Suze grew up in a rural community and her life has been significantly impacted by violence towards herself, siblings and mother by her father – a First Nations man. She acknowledges that her father and her family continue to be harmed due to the impacts of colonialism. She wants people to understand how violence and dispossession forced on her family have resulted in lifelong consequences for herself and those around her.
Nelly brings the voices of women and children from culturally and linguistically diverse communities. Being a refugee from Afghanistan, Nelly is passionate about raising awareness of forced marriage disguised as 'cultural norms', sexual abuse and coercive control. Nelly is also a strong advocate for bringing the voices and lived experiences of marginalised individuals and communities to the forefront of prevention of violence against women and children.
Rebeckah is an open and proud woman of trans experience and survivor of intimate partner violence who brings both personal and professional expertise to her work, advocating for safer, more inclusive, and trauma-informed responses for trans and gender diverse and LGBTIQA+ communities. Through her leadership, advisory, and systems advocacy roles, she works alongside government, community organisations, and practitioners to strengthen family violence prevention and response, ensuring the voices and experiences of trans and gender diverse and LGBTIQA+ victim survivors are meaningfully embedded in policy, practice, service design, and system reform.
Joe Ball, Victorian Commissioner for LGBTIQA+ Communities
Commissioner Joe Ball is a proud transgender man. He is a longstanding LGBTIQA+ advocate with a 25-year career in disability, housing and homelessness, and social services. Joe was previously CEO of Switchboard Victoria for eight years, where he led the establishment of Rainbow Door, the statewide LGBTIQA+ family violence and mental health helpline.
Djirri Djirri dancers
We’ll also be treated to a performance by the Djirri Djirri dancers, the only female Wurundjeri dance group and Traditional Custodians of Naarm. The group is led by Wurundjeri, Dja Dja wurrung and Ngurai illum wurrung woman, Mandy Nicholson.
Rebecca Barnard
Rebecca Barnard is an Australian singer-songwriter and a familiar voice in the Australian music scene for decades, best known as the frontwoman of Rebecca’s Empire and for her collaborations with some of the country’s most celebrated musicians.
Beyond her music, Rebecca is a passionate advocate for community connection, inclusion and social change. She has dedicated much of her career to supporting grassroots initiatives, including fundraising for women’s refuges and working with young people and communities experiencing disadvantage. As a founding member of the Mirabel Foundation, Rebecca has helped support children affected by parental drug use, using music and songwriting to build confidence, connection and a sense of belonging.
Mama Alto and Beloved Friends
Mama Alto is a jazz singer, cabaret artiste and gender-transcendent diva. A transgender and queer person of colour living with disability, her work explores the radical potential of storytelling, strength in softness and power in vulnerability.
Her work across performance, writing, cultural development and community arts has received numerous honours, including the 2021 Australia Council Kirk Robson Award for Community Arts and Cultural Development.
Also at the Walk Against Family Violence
Be sure to check out The Red Shoes Installation in Treasury Gardens. Presented by artist Laura Delaney, the work features pairs of red shoes representing Australian women whose lives have been taken by violence.
You’ll also see The Lost Petition – an ongoing textile artwork that lists women and children who have lost their lives to male violence in Australia from 2008. This work is 38 metres long and proceeds to grow in length as women and children’s lives continue to taken by men’s use of violence. Artist Dans Bain will be bringing the work to the Walk.
And stick around for lunch in the Gardens – bring a picnic or grab a bite from the A1 Bakery, Cornutopia and Li’l Dumpling vans, or a hot or cold drink from the Bean Brewed coffee cart.
There will also be stalls from Haus of Dizzy, What Were You Wearing, Australian Femicide Watch, Djirra, Gammin Threads, Queen Victoria Women's Centre, Zoe Belle Gender Collective, Dress for Success Victoria, Conscious Combat Club and VACCA.
Take a look at the Walk access key for more of what to expect on the day.
We can’t wait to see you there!