Contributed by Dubbo Violence Prevention Collective.

For several months the members of the Dubbo Violence Prevention Collective (DVPC) have been working to bring together sector policy makers, leaders, experts and frontline providers of services to collaborate and learn from each other at the Collective annual conference.

The venue for 2025 is once again the Savannah Room at Taronga Western Plains Zoo on Tuesday, June 24.

The theme, content and presenters of the conference have never been more important for the sector and communities in the region, and recent tragic events and national conversations will feature at the event.

The keynote speaker will be Women’s Safety Commissioner Dr Hannah Tonkin who is returning to update conference participants on the progress made to strengthen responses to gendered violence across the whole of government in NSW.

Supporting Dr Tonkin will be leaders from NSW Police, Department of Communities & Justice, the Association of Children's Welfare Agencies, WNSW Local Health District, NSW Legal Aid and victim survivors.

The DVPC is a collection of domestic violence services in Dubbo and wants to increase the awareness of domestic violence and encourage the entire community to be involved in identifying it and bringing it to an end.

Domestic violence-related assault has continued to rise in NSW since the end of the pandemic, with the Far West and Orana region having a rate 3.5 times that of the overall rate in NSW.

DV remains a significant issue with far-reaching impacts on individuals, families and our community. The Dubbo Regional Local Government Area is ranked eighth in the state, according to December 2024 statistics.

“The issue of domestic and family violence has gained increasing media attention and public awareness and needs continued recognition and discussion in the public realm,” said Angela Coker, chair of the Collective.

“Domestic and family violence is never acceptable, and families and community members play a significant role in the importance of speaking up if they see or suspect something, and these displays strengthen this message and emphasise that together we can break the silence and bring a voice to domestic and family violence,” added Ms Coker.

The Collective provides a forum for the domestic violence services in Dubbo, to work together to continually improve support to victims and their families, and organises numerous community events to increase community awareness of domestic violence and support the community to see it, hear it, report it.

If you need support, call 1800 RESPECT or in an emergency call 000.