Blue Mountains mayor Mark Greenhill hosted the eighth Mayor’s White Ribbon Day breakfast on Wednesday, November 25 at the Blue Mountains Cultural Centre in Katoomba.
The mayor conveyed the tragic experience of Rosie Batty – campaigner against domestic violence and Australian of the Year 2015 – who lost her son Luke at the hand of his father who perpetrated years of family violence.
“Regrettably, the issue of domestic violence in Australia is bigger than any one person’s story and the shocking statistics tell us that domestic violence is nothing less than an urgent issue of national importance,” he said.
“The spotlight on Rosie’s courageous efforts to publicly confront the issue of domestic violence in Australia has significantly helped to advance the cause, however, we know domestic violence is not a new issue and we know the effort of the women’s movement over many years is not new.
“We must not forget the 76 women who have been killed by violence by men in Australia so far this year, nor the victims before them.
“We must act now to condemn the appalling scourge of violence by men against women and children in Australian society.”
Uncle Graeme Cooper, David King, Simon Lenthen, Katoomba High School student Talison Doust and Katoomba High School principal Jenny Boyall addressed the forum and conveyed personal stories, poetry and statistics to inform and activate the audience about domestic violence.
