‘A shift in thinking’: Victoria’s hospitality workers to be trained on identifying family violence risks

Of the measures to address women’s safety, minister Vicki Ward says are ‘about creating a shift in community thinking, which should translate to safer communities for women’. Photograph: Sami Sert/Getty Images

It was a series of conversations – sparked by a speech by the head of a family violence charity earlier this year – that brought to the fore an issue hospitality workers have long struggled with.

What could they do if they witnessed signs of violence but hadn’t actually seen a crime take place?

According to Victoria’s prevention of family violence minister, Vicki Ward, the conversations sparked by those questions eventually reached the government. It’s led to a move for all alcohol-serving Victorian workers to receive training on how to identify and deal with family violence risks.