White Ribbon Australia welcomes NCE Chair

White Ribbon Australia congratulates Professor Anne Edwards on being appointed Chair of the National Centre of Excellence (NCE), established to help reduce domestic, family and sexual violence around Australia.

The centre is a key strategy to deliver on the Australian Government’s $86 million National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children 2010-2022. It will focus on improving the evidence base on violence against women and its application towards enhancing policy, programs and practice.

The recent announcement by the Minister for the Status of Women, Julie Collins, that the former Vice-Chancellor of Flinders University, Emeritus Professor Edwards, had been appointed to the position of Chair has been welcomed by White Ribbon.

Professor Edwards’ other senior positions have included Deputy Chair of the Australian Research Council and Chair of the Research Committee at the Academy of Social Sciences of Australia. She is also a fellow at the Australian Academy of Social Sciences, Australian College of Educators and Australian Institute of Company Directors.

“Professor Edwards brings a wealth of knowledge and skills to this very important project, which will work ultimately to improve the lives of women who have experienced or are experiencing violence. Building a more solid evidence base to enhance on the ground responses to women and their children and primary prevention strategies to stop violence occurring against women in the first place is vital,” White Ribbon Australia CEO, Ms Libby Davies said.

“As Australia’s only national, male-led primary prevention campaign to stop violence against women, White Ribbon Australia is particularly eager to see the centre develop a national agenda to improve policy and service delivery in the prevention of violence against women across Australia.”

Based in Sydney, the centre will begin operations this year, providing a space for researchers, policy makers and practitioners in the field to link-up and provide evidence based responses to reduce domestic, family and sexual violence.

The centre has been established with the Commonwealth providing initial funding of up to $1 million. From mid-2013, the centre will receive annual funding of $3 million, with the Commonwealth providing $1.5 million annually and the remaining $1.5 million provided by the States and Territories on a per capita basis.

White Ribbon Australia looks forward to working with the centre and to the opportunity for more comprehensive information to be shared on its planned work agenda at the White Ribbon International Conference to be held in Sydney in May. For more information, click here.