Hundreds of fierce individuals gathered recently to discuss the nation's approach to domestic, family and sexual violence.
There were powerful stories shared in the room at the inaugural Australian Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Recovery Alliance conference held in Wollongong, the first in Australia to focus on recovery from domestic violence.
The numbers around domestic violence in NSW are well known.
One in four women experience emotional abuse from a partner. One in three has experienced physical violence. One woman a week is murdered by her current or former partner.
It only takes a quick look through the Newcastle Herald court pages to see the numbers played out in real time.
Compounding the problem, Australia needs trauma-informed legal change for sexual assault court hearings, a panel in Newcastle said last week.
Discussion between four experts from the University of Sydney, Victim Support VOCAL Hunter, the University of NSW and Hunter Street Chambers revealed the current adversarial system, particularly the role of juries, can re-traumatise survivors and cause incorrect witness accounts.
The panel, hosted by Newcastle Institute, said "rape myths", or ingrained and incorrect beliefs about sexual assault, remain at the forefront of jury decisions.
It is unknown how many perpetrators walk free as a result.
The courts are full of perpetrators with their own story of witnessing domestic violence at home.
The conference in Wollongong was aimed at raising awareness about trauma's role in the cycle of abuse in communities.
It explored how, by addressing trauma and helping people to recover, we as a society can start to see change.
The conference's theme, "The Right to Recovery", investigated healthcare, housing and economic recovery, children and accessible paths to justice and was aimed at influencing both policy and investment decisions.
With keynote addresses from trauma expert and former Harvard Medical School instructor Dr Janina Fisher and 2015 Australian of the Year Rosie Batty, the conference had some firepower.
Indeed, at least 50 per cent of presenters and facilitators had lived experience of domestic, family and sexual violence, centring the voices of those affected and providing insight into what is needed to reduce such violence.
With the federal budget being delivered last week and the NSW state government's first budget set for September, let's hope that the conference's message has been heard and heard well.
Because to ignore the experts in the room at such events is to deny a brighter future for generations to come.
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