IWD breakfast spotlights injustices against women

by KIRRA McCAGUE
11th March 2026

COMMUNITY members gathered in Manningham on March 2 to mark International Women’s Day, with this year’s theme, Balance the Scales.
Announced by UN Women Australia, the 2026 theme focused on access to fair, inclusive, and accessible justice for women and girls and highlights the ongoing barriers that prevent individuals from seeking safety and support.
The Manningham breakfast brought the theme into a local context, combining personal testimony, frontline policing perspectives and community service insight.
Former professional tennis player Jelena Dokic delivered the keynote address, speaking about her experience of family violence and the long-term impacts of silence and stigma.
Globally, one in three women will experience physical or sexual violence in their lifetime, yet most will never seek formal help or justice.
Ms Dokic described being “taught, trained, and raised to stay silent” and spoke about the shame she felt speaking publicly about abuse, and how that caused her to hide this violence she was being subjected to longer.
Despite her professional successes, her abuse from her father was growing and her mental health declining, exacerbated by lack of support from social systems and the fear that she would not be believed.
She encouraged attendees to “call out injustice and advocate for change” and to remove judgement, shame and guilt from these conversations about violence.
Ms Dokic emphasised the importance of having open conversations because they lead to change, and said gender equality requires collective responsibility:
“It’s not a men’s problem or a women’s problem, we all need to come together.”
Community support plays a key role in ensuring victims and survivors are given respect and visibility, allowing women not just to survive, but to thrive.
Ms Dokic later joined a panel discussion with Inspector Carlie Kohler of Victoria Police and Doncare Chief Executive Officer Kylie Scoullar, which reflected on how to tackle this imperfect system, with the convergence of increased social and institutional support.
Inspector Kohler reflected on reforms introduced following Victoria’s 2015 Royal Commission into Family Violence, which produced 227 new recommendations.
She outlined changes in policing practice aimed at improving victim-survivor experiences, including specialist training and the use of audio-recorded evidence to reduce the need for repeated interviews.
She said reforms are focused on elevating those voices and “ensuring victims feel safe, secure, and are treated with dignity and respect.”
Despite reform efforts, panellists acknowledged ongoing challenges.
Demand for crisis accommodation continues to outpace supply, with shelters reporting waitlists.
Concerns remain about safety after reporting violence, and confusion about where to seek help can prevent people from coming forward.
With this, was emphasised the importance of believing, supporting and uplifting women.
Ms Scoullar noted that in the past, many felt “the system was unlikely to look after you,” contributing to under-reporting and reluctance to engage with services.
Practical community responses, she said, begin with “not looking away,” and continually advocating for changes, amplifying knowledge, and education, on how we can adequately support the women in our communities.
Manningham City Council CEO Andrew Day added “the responsibility to champion gender equality does not sit with women alone,” reinforcing the importance of shared accountability across government, organisations and the broader community.

Doncare providing vital social support services

Locally, we are fortunate to have the trusted organisation Doncare to provide these services, including counselling, emergency relief, wellbeing programs and material aid for individuals in need.
At the event, Mr Day confirmed that Doncare has been awarded a new three-year contract commencing in July 2026, to continue delivering social support services on Council’s behalf, including:

• emergency relief and material aid, including food relief
• counselling
• wellbeing programs.

This partnership allows for continued support of women and paves the way for more awareness to the inequities faced by women, while supplying the community with the knowledge and resources to change for the better.
Ms Scoullar said Doncare was proud to continue its partnership with Council.

“For more than 56 years, Doncare has been a trusted local organisation supporting the wellbeing of the Manningham community,”
“Time and again, residents tell us how much they value Doncare’s personal, skilled, wrap-around support during some of life’s toughest moments.”

Manningham Mayor Jim Grivas said the partnership reflects Council’s priorities under its 2025–2029 Council Plan.
He added that a key objective of the plan is to ensure Manningham is “safe, connected and also inclusive, a community where violence and gender inequity are not tolerated.”
“That’s why we are committed to working with trusted partners like Doncare to provide compassionate, practical support when our residents need it most,” Cr Grivas said.
International Women’s Day remains both a celebration of the achievements of women and girls, and a continued commitment towards equality.
The Manningham breakfast reflected that dual purpose recognising and championing women’s voices while highlighting the structural, cultural and practical changes still required to achieve gender equity and improve access to justice at both local and national levels.