The Bundaberg Regional Council is urging the community to lend its support to a state-wide local government campaign taking place on Sunday, October 11, to promote safer communities.
Mayor Mal Forman said Council representatives, along with state and federal members, the police and domestic violence support agencies would be gathering at Alexandra Park on Sunday at 10am to rally against domestic violence.
“The Bundaberg Regional Council is one of more than 40 councils across Queensland taking part in the campaign, which has been instigated by the Local Government Association of Queensland,” Cr Forman said.
According to Queensland Police Service statistics, there were 29 domestic violence-related murders in the state in 2014-15, a 55 per cent increase compared with the previous year. There were also 16,654 breaches of domestic violence orders (14 per cent increase) and 72,516 domestic violence incidents which required police attendance (30 per cent increase).
“By supporting the campaign and holding a community gathering and rally at Alexandra Park on Sunday, we are showing solidarity and commitment to developing safer communities,” Cr Forman said.
“We want local families to know that this Council and the community has a zero tolerance approach to domestic violence. We also want locals to know that individuals experiencing domestic violence can be assured that there are appropriate support services available to assist them.
“Domestic violence is a national issue that will take time to address. But we must remember that attitudes and beliefs are central to domestic violence. Taking action at the local level to set the right examples within our own communities is critical to changing unacceptable behaviours.”
Residents and local businesses are asked to support the campaign against domestic violence by turning out in force on the day and taking to social media in the lead up to the rally, using the hashtag #saferfamilies.