S
outh Australians with lived experience of domestic, family and sexual violence are being invited to help shape government policy through a new advisory group created in response to the state’s Royal Commission into Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence.
Expressions of interest have opened for the Lived Experience Advisory Group, which will report directly to South Australian Minister for Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence, Alice Rolls.
The group will include up to 12 members drawn from the adult Lived Experience Advisory Network, known as LEAN, which is coordinated by Embolden.
The initiative follows recommendations handed down by the Royal Commission, which called for a formal body made up of people with lived experience to meet regularly with government and contribute directly to reform efforts. The South Australian Government has accepted 129 of the commission’s 136 recommendations and committed $674 million over the next decade toward implementation.
The advisory group will provide input on policies, programs and services affecting victim survivors, with early work expected to focus on the government’s response plan, Building Safer Futures.
The Department of Human Services will coordinate the group and work with members to develop individual safety and wellbeing plans during their two year appointments. Participants will also receive remuneration for their involvement.
Ms Rolls said lived experience needed to sit at the centre of reform discussions rather than on the sidelines.
“The voices of those who have lived through domestic, family and sexual violence are essential,” she said.
“South Australians who have experienced domestic, family or sexual violence have told us they want to be part of creating change.”
The government says the group will reflect a broad cross section of South Australian communities, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, LGBTQIA+ communities, culturally and linguistically diverse groups, people living with disability, those with experience of incarceration and residents from regional and remote areas.
At least half of the positions will be held by women as part of the government’s gender equity commitment.
Applicants must be South Australian residents aged over 18 who have lived experience of domestic, family or sexual violence and are members of LEAN, or applying to join the network at the same time.
The announcement comes amid ongoing scrutiny of how governments and institutions respond to victim survivors, with advocates continuing to call for policy decisions to be informed by people who have firsthand experience navigating the system.
A victim survivor submission to the Royal Commission highlighted the gap between public understanding and lived reality, particularly around why leaving violent relationships can be difficult.
“People without lived experience can perhaps acknowledge or appreciate or sympathise with victim survivors,” the submission stated.
“Those of us with lived experience know firsthand and so can truly understand the thought processes and challenges victims and other victim survivors experience.”
Expressions of interest are now open through the South Australian Department of Human Services.
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