We asked people to tell us whether they were a member of any of the diverse and intersecting identities we listed, inviting them to select all that apply.

• 34% of respondents said that they were not part of any of the groups listed
• 66% selected one or more of the following:
  • 32% selected ‘People living with mental illness’
  • 26% selected ‘People with disabilities’
  • 22% selected ‘LGBTIQ+ communities’
  • 13% selected ‘Multicultural communities’
  • 7% selected ‘Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities’
  • 10% selected ‘Carers’
  • 7% selected ‘Other’
  • For each of the following options, fewer than 6% selected:
    • ‘Prefer not to answer’
    • ‘Young people’
    • ‘People employed in the sex work industry’

When we asked if people would be interested in being involved:

• 62% said yes
• 29% said they were unsure
• 9% said no

From the people who provided qualitative (written) responses

• 18% said they are motivated to use their lived experience to support other people who experience domestic, family and sexual violence
• 11% raised the importance of being respectful and inclusive of diverse experiences, and recognising that people experience domestic, family and sexual violence in many different ways
• 11% said they would like to have the option to participate anonymously
• 20% raised the importance of respectful and trauma-informed practices, including:
  • Believing women
  • Providing flexible opportunities to participate
  • Demonstrating cultural integrity
  • Providing participants with clear information, transparency about processes and clarity about expectations
  • Reimbursing people for their time and expertise
  • Respecting privacy and confidentiality
  • Providing a non-judgemental environment
  • Having a recovery and healing focus
  • Providing ways to stay up to date with how information from participation is used
  • Demonstrating empathy and kindness

We heard the importance of providing a variety of different ways to participate. We heard that some of these ways could include:

• Attending a community forum
• Taking part in a one-to-one interview
• Participating in a peer group with other survivors
• Completing a survey or questionnaire
• Developing, drafting and reviewing a policy submission
• Meeting online and/or in-person
• Sharing a personal story or experience
• Providing an artistic and/or written submission

We heard that some people who are not sure about participating have concerns about:

• Not having enough time to participate
• Feeling concerned for their safety if a perpetrator or family member found out they had participated
• The risk of being re-traumatised by talking and thinking about their experience
• Feeling that their own experience of violence was too long ago, or does not count as a valid experience

Some areas people are interested in consulting on include:

• How children and young people experience violence
• How people with disability experience violence
• Improving the legal system
• Accessing and navigating supports

Other important points people raised were:

• Taking action and demonstrating outcomes from lived experience input
• Sufficient time must be provided throughout all stages of the process
• Voices are diverse, so representation should be too
• Personal circumstances can change very quickly, so it is important to be flexible and allow for involvement at different stages of the process
• Many people feel most comfortable speaking to female staff
• Not everyone with lived experience of domestic, family and sexual violence identifies as a ‘victim’ or ‘survivor’

Women’s Health Matters will soon begin development of the model, continuously testing it with key stakeholders (including people with lived experience). Findings from this survey, as well as information gathered from community consultation and research, will be used to inform the design of the model.