“We know that men can change their use of violence if they get the help they need.”
No to Violence chief executive Phillip Ripper said the cricketing community, including the Australian cricket team, supported the initiative.
“Sport has enormous cultural influence in Australia, and cricket in particular has broad appeal to men across cultures, ages, communities and social backgrounds,” he said.
“We’re seeing all codes of sport really starting to take significant interest in family violence.
“They know this is an issue that affects the community, and we’re really pleased to see so many sporting organisations step up and start talking about how they play a part.”
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Last year, the Brisbane Lions partnered with local domestic and family violence charity Beyond DV to call out violence against women, joining a national campaign led by the chief justice of the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia, Will Alstergren.
“Men can lead the change for other men and pave the way forward to a positive and accountable future,” Alstergren said last year.
As part of his campaign, Alstergren recruited well-known Australian figures, including actors Hugh Jackman and Eric Bana, cricketer Usman Khawaja, and former NRL player Johnathan Thurston, to record anti-violence messages targeting young men and boys that were later used in a video production.
Ahead of the holiday season, a time when family violence can escalate, Plibersek said it was important for men who use violence to have a service to turn to.
“As a nation, we need to invest in behaviour change programs that work to help [perpetrators] change their violent or controlling behaviour,” she said.
“That’s how we keep women and children safe.”
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