• Mayor Karen Williams with the Zero Tolerance Posters
Redland City Mayor Karen Williams has welcomed the Friendly Bay Islander's Zero Tolerance initiative.
The campaign includes this feature and the Zero Tolerance poster and education program that has been put in place by our publication.
It addresses community behaviour, bad language in public and domestic violence.
Mayor Williams says the Friendly Bay Islander's initiative is complementary to recent Government initiatives and the recent release by Dame Quentin Bryce of a state-wide report into domestic and family violence.
Cr Williams, who is part of the Redlands Domestic and Family Violence Action Group, said the group had made a submission to the Not Now, Not Ever: Putting an End to Domestic and Family Violence in Queensland report to highlight the need for greater focus on domestic violence in the Redlands.
“No community is safe from the effects of domestic and family violence, with Redlands accounting for around 3 per cent of all domestic and family violence protection orders applied for across Queensland,” Cr Williams said.
Macleay Island police admitted in our February edition that Domestic Violence was a continuing problem on our islands.
The report has three key themes – changing cultural attitudes, ensuring services work together and also looking at the role of our legal systems.
“Council recognises the importance of an integrated response that the Not Now, Not Ever report highlights and has been encouraging this collaborative approach across agencies to keeps victims safe and make perpetrators accountable.
"Initiatives such as this Friendly Bay Islander feature and its on-going poster and education program, are to be applauded," Mayor Williams said.
Australian statistics on domestic violence are horrifying:
• One woman every week is killed by her partner or former partner;
• They are most likely to die in their own home
• Family violence is the main cause of homelessness for women and children
• One in three women over the age of 15 experience physical or sexual violence by someone they know
• In some states 40 per cent of police work involves domestic violence and it is certainly high on the list for Bay Island police.
• The cost to the economy is $15 billion a year.
If you see evidence on our islands, report it to Crime Stoppers!
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