Violence survivors urged to join network tasked with advising SA government reform
Hayley Brown shared her experience of domestic violence with South Australia's recent royal commission. (ABC News: Carl Saville)
In short:
Hayley Brown is one of the first victim-survivors who has shared her story with a new statewide lived experience advisory network.
The network will provide advice to the state government as it considers recommendations made by SA's Royal Commission into Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence.
What's next?
The state government says it is "deeply considering" the remaining 129 recommendations and will provide a response by the end of the year.
Hayley Brown says she was held hostage and almost lost her life at the hands of a long-term partner.
But it was a relationship with a second man she says destroyed her life.
She said she was in a vulnerable state when she met the second perpetrator after 10 years of "alcohol-fuelled violence" and emotional abuse.
"My self-esteem was extremely low, I didn't trust myself and I felt like my judgement was out," Ms Brown said.
"I looked to services, authorities and to my new partner, who was making all the promises of supporting me out of that relationship.
"[But] he was extremely controlling and manipulative."
Both perpetrators have since been convicted and Ms Brown is now an executive and advocate with an organisation that supports families.
But less than two years ago she was also in prison, facing charges related to her second ex-partner's offending.
Those charges have since been withdrawn.
"He manipulated the system such that inaccurate reports went in and I was actually incarcerated for 13 months as a result of all of this," she said.
It was hearing the stories of other women whose lives had unravelled because of domestic and family violence, during her time in jail, that inspired Ms Brown to speak up.
Ms Brown is determined to use her experience to help change a system that she believes let her down.
"I was able to see gaps or failures in the system, and that's not about blame. It's just what could be done differently,"she said.
"I can't have gone through what I went through, without speaking up for other people."
Hayley Brown is one of the first victim-survivors to join a statewide lived experience advisory network. (ABC News: Carl Saville)
'They know what needs to change'
After sharing her story with the SA Royal Commission into Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence, Ms Brown is now one of the first victim-survivors to join a statewide lived experience advisory network.
The network will aim to provide feedback and advice, as the state government looks to respond to the inquiry’s recommendations.
Establishing the network is one of seven recommendations the government has committed to implementing so far.
Katrine Hildyard says she wants reform to be informed by those with lived experience. (ABC News: Carl Saville)
Minister for Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Katrine Hildyard said input from members would be "at the heart" of reforms.
"We are deeply committed to listening to and acting on the voices of survivors," Ms Hildyard said.
"They know what needs to change."
Ms Hildyard said the government was "deeply considering" the remaining 129 recommendations and would provide its response by the end of the year.
Findings of South Australia's Royal Commission into Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence were handed down in August. (ABC News: Che Chorley)
Ms Brown hopes her experience will lead to improvements such as better interagency communication and training of frontline workers to recognise coercive control.
She is hoping other victim-survivors will join her.
She said for anyone interested in sharing their lived experience "it's so important that you are part of this conversation".
"The more voices that we can bring together to find solutions to this horrible society problem, the better."
'Opportunity' to inform
Embolden, the state's peak body for domestic, family and sexual violence services, is calling for South Australians to consider joining the lived experience network.
Expressions of interest are open to anyone over the age of 18 with direct personal experience.
Embolden chief executive Mary Leaker said participants would have the opportunity to provide feedback and advice on policies and services in a variety of ways, including surveys, focus groups and workshops.
"They'll have an opportunity to provide their knowledge and their expertise to really help shape how we better prevent and respond to domestic, family and sexual violence in SA," Ms Leaker said.
Mary Leaker is the chief executive officer of Embolden. (ABC News: Carl Saville)
Embolden is hoping to hear from victim-survivors with a broad range of experiences.
"People may have an experience of intimate partner violence or abuse, or they may have a different experience of domestic and family violence," Ms Leaker said.
It could be a historic experience or something that happened in a person's childhood.
"We really are keen to hear from people who have an experience of sexual violence such as rape or sexual assault, including an experience of childhood sexual abuse," Ms Leaker said.
"And we really want to get the word out that people don't need to have ever received a service in relation to their experience of violence or abuse."
The state government is also setting up a youth advisory network in collaboration with the Commissioner for Children and Young People and the Commissioner for Aboriginal Children and Young People.