Women's Safety and Respect for Women

My Vision

“I envision a Berowra where women can live without fear of violence or discrimination. By working together, we can create a community that respects and values women, ensuring their safety and well-being. When women thrive, society thrives.”

My Commitment

Tina believes that every woman deserves to live in a safe and respectful environment, and that together, we can create a community where women feel secure, valued, and empowered. Tina’s policies are designed to address the unique challenges women face and to promote gender equality in all aspects of life. Tina believes this can be achieved through a Support, Protection and Prevention five-point plan:

1. Enhance Support Services
2. Protect and Support Complainants
3. Promote Education and Awareness
4. Empower Women Economically
5. Ensure Safe Public Spaces

Five Point Plan
1. Enhance Support Services

• Tina will advocate for increased funding for women's shelters and crisis centres, including our local Hornsby Kuring-gai Women’s Shelter, to ensure they have the resources needed to support victims of violence.
• Expand access to counselling and mental health services for women affected by violence and abuse.
• Support the permanent implementation of the ‘Escaping Violence Payment’ (up to $5,000 for individuals) as well as access to case work support and referrals in order to provide all individuals with choices about leaving violent relationships.

2. Protect and Support Complainants

• Tina supports the recommendations contained in the ALRC’s Report ‘Safe, Informed, Supported: Reforming Justice Responses to Sexual Violence’, and will advocate for:
  • Independent Legal Services - the provision of a free and confidential legal advice session that enables informed decision-making about whether or not to engage with the justice system and the various pathways. Legal advocates would also be available to provide legal advice to survivors and representation in the criminal justice context, as needed.
  • Justice System Navigators - to walk alongside and guide complainants through the criminal justice and related justice processes and service systems. These navigators would be trained support persons who advocate and provide support in initial and ongoing interactions with police, prosecutors, the court, and related systems.
  • Safe Places to Disclose - ensuring appropriate services, such as sexual violence services, receive adequate funding to function as Safe Places to Disclose. For all people who have experienced sexual violence, the ability to disclose the harm to trauma-informed professional staff, receive support and assistance to access relevant health and social services, and be referred to the Independent Legal Services is crucial.
  • Tina will further advocate to ensure engaging with the Legal System is not confronting for complainants by ensuring separate entrances to court rooms are available in all courts.
• Tina will push the Government to fund and implement comprehensive training programs for people who work in the justice system to ensure they are educated about practices which address the experiences and needs of groups disproportionately reflected in sexual violence statistics.

3. Promote Education and Awareness

• Tina will advocate for an increase in funding for schools to comprehensively roll out Consent and Respectful Relationships Education (CRRE). With more than 40 schools in the Berowra area, more support is needed to implement this crucial education on positive, respectful relationships and consent in age-appropriate ways that reflect the needs of individual school communities.
• Support the launch of public awareness campaigns to educate the community about the importance of respect for women and the impact of gender-based violence.

4. Empower Women Economically

• Tina recognises the importance of engaging with women in the business community to understand their needs and aspirations.
• Tina will actively and regularly engage and consult with female entrepreneurs and business leaders regarding improvements to grants and resources, including advocacy for a revitalised Boosting Female Founders (BFF) program.
• Tina will advocate for increased funding for female career development programs.

5. Ensure Safe Public Spaces

• Tina will work with local groups and agencies in Berowra to conduct a community safety audit to identify and address areas where women feel unsafe, particularly in public spaces and transport hubs. Tina will advocate for appropriate funding to allow local authorities to address areas of concern.
• Tina will support the development of targeted community programs that promote gender equality and respect for women, with a focus on encouraging bystander intervention and support for women in distress. Tina will seek to involve local leaders and organisations from around Berowra to ensure programs are culturally appropriate.