MEDIA RELEASE – 11/08/2026

WestCASA calls on Victorian election candidates to act on sexual and family violence crisis in Melbourne’s west

The Western Region Centre Against Sexual Assault (WestCASA) calls on all political parties and candidates contesting the upcoming Victorian State Government election to make a clear commitment to urgently and sustainably address the critical gap in specialist sexual assault and family violence services across Melbourne’s western metropolitan region.

The scale of sexual violence against members of our communities is undeniable. The standard we walk past is the standard we accept, and we cannot continue to accept this.

One in five adult women and one in sixteen adult men have experienced sexual violence. Family violence is similarly pervasive, with approximately one in four women and one in fourteen men experiencing violence by an intimate partner since the age of 15.

These are not marginal issues. They represent a profound and ongoing public health, safety and social crisis affecting individuals, families and entire communities.

Melbourne’s west is one of the fastest-growing and most culturally diverse regions in Victoria. Its communities bring extraordinary strength, resilience and diversity, but population growth is placing increasing pressure on services that are already struggling to meet demand.

Victim-survivors across the west face significant barriers to accessing the specialist support they need, including long waitlists, workforce shortages, limited culturally safe services and significant gaps in early intervention, prevention and community education.

WestCASA is currently the smallest sexual assault service supporting the largest and fastest-growing population in Victoria.

In 2026–27 alone, more than 35,000 people across Melbourne’s western metropolitan region are expected to be impacted by sexual violence. Yet the capacity of the specialist service system has not kept pace with the scale and complexity of need.

This is an increasingly dangerous mismatch: demand is rising rapidly while service capacity remains constrained.

The consequences are significant. When victim-survivors cannot access timely, specialist and trauma-informed support, the impacts can extend across their health, relationships, families, education, employment and participation in community life. The costs of inaction are ultimately carried not only by victim-survivors, but by the broader health, justice, social services and community systems.

WestCASA works tirelessly on the frontline to respond to this demand. We acknowledge and genuinely appreciate the investment and support provided by government to date. But current investment does not reflect the size of the population we serve, the scale of violence experienced in our communities, or the rapidly growing demand for specialist support.

We are calling on every political party and candidate to commit to fixing the critical funding shortfall facing WestCASA.

This is about more than funding one organisation.

It is about whether people living in Melbourne’s west have an equitable right to safety, support, justice and recovery.

Now is the time to act.

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Quotes attributable to WestCASA CEO Annette Vickery

The Victorian Government has an opportunity to make a meaningful investment now, before unmet need becomes greater, waiting lists become longer and the human and social costs of inaction become even harder to reverse.

WestCASA is calling on candidates to make a clear election commitment to address the critical funding shortfall facing specialist sexual assault services in Melbourne’s west.

Melbourne’s west cannot continue to grow without the services and infrastructure needed to keep its communities safe.

Gathering together to celebrate NAIDOC Week 2026

NAIDOC Week 2026 at WestCASA has been a time to recognise and honour the histories, cultures, achievements and enduring strength of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. 

This year’s NAIDOC Week theme, 50 years of Deadly marks more than five decades since an entirely Aboriginal-led NAIDOC committee was formed. 
 
It was our opportunity to reflect on the resilience, leadership and wisdom of First Nations peoples, while celebrating the rich cultures that have thrived on this land for tens of thousands of years. 

We were privileged to gather on the lands of the Traditional Owners of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation and peoples to witness the haunting performance, ‘Three Magpies perched in a tree’ from Uncle Glenn Shea.

Glenn, thank you for your storytelling and wisdom and Happy NAIDOC week to all! 

MEDIA RELEASE – 08/07/2026

WestCASA Reaches Major Milestone: 1,000 Community Members Trained to Respond to Sexual Assault Disclosures

Melbourne’s west celebrates growing commitment to creating safer, more informed communities

WestCASA is proud to announce a significant milestone in its Community Education Program, having now trained its 1,000th community member across Melbourne’s western metropolitan region in responding to disclosures of sexual assault.

The achievement reflects the growing commitment of organisations, professionals, volunteers and community members to build safer, trauma-informed communities where victim-survivors are believed, supported and connected with specialist services.

Over the past two and a half years, WestCASA’s evidence-informed training has equipped participants from workplaces, sporting clubs, schools, tertiary institutions, health services, community organisations and government agencies with the knowledge and confidence to respond appropriately when someone discloses they have been subjected to sexual violence.

WestCASA Chief Executive Officer Annette Vickery said the milestone demonstrates a growing recognition that responding to sexual violence is everyone’s responsibility and that communities are very eager and committed to engaging and ensuring they support victim-survivors. 

“People who complete this workshop report feeling more confident and able to respond well to the impacts of sexual violence,” Ms Vickery said. 

“This milestone is not an endpoint— it is a big achievement towards our vision of safer communities where victim-survivors are met with understanding and acceptance, believed without judgement, and supported to access services as needed.”

Community Education Manager Adrian Smith said the increasing demand for training reflects a cultural shift across Melbourne’s west.

“We’re seeing an encouraging willingness from organisations and individuals to build their knowledge and recognise the critical role they play in responding safely to disclosures.

“Whether someone works in education, healthcare, local government, sport, community services or simply wants to better support family and friends, people are recognising that knowing how to respond can make a lifelong difference.”

WestCASA’s training focuses on practical, trauma-informed responses, helping participants understand how to:

• Recognise and respond appropriately to disclosures of sexual assault. 
• Communicate in ways that promote safety, dignity and choice. 
• Avoid common responses that may unintentionally cause further harm. 
• Understand the impacts of trauma. 
• Connect victim-survivors with appropriate specialist support services. 

The program has experienced significant growth as organisations increasingly recognise that creating psychologically safe environments requires investment in education, prevention and early intervention.

As demand continues to increase, WestCASA remains committed to expanding access to high-quality community education throughout Melbourne’s western metropolitan region.

“Every person we train strengthens the community’s capacity to respond well,” Ms Vickery said.

“This milestone is not an endpoint—it is another step towards our vision of communities where victim-survivors are met with understanding, believed without judgement, and supported to access the help they deserve.”

Contact training@westcasa.org.au or 9216 0444 for training requests.

About WestCASA

WestCASA provides specialist sexual assault counselling, advocacy, support and prevention services for  victim-survivors of  sexual assault in Melbourne’s western metropolitan region. Through its Community Education Program, WestCASA works alongside organisations and communities to build awareness, strengthen trauma-informed practice and contribute to the prevention of sexual violence.

MEDIA RELEASE – 23/04/2026

WestCASA says funding never more urgently required during Sexual Assault Awareness Month

As Sexual Assault Awareness Month shines a national spotlight on the prevalence and impact of sexual violence, the Western Region Centre Against Sexual Assault (WestCASA) is warning that specialist support services are being pushed to the brink, forced to stretch limited resources and, increasingly, generate their own funding just to meet urgent community need.

Across Melbourne’s west metro, WestCASA has seen sustained and escalating demand for crisis response, counselling, and advocacy.

This surge reflects both growing awareness and the courage of victim survivors coming forward, but without commensurate investment, the system is under acute strain.

Staff are working at capacity, waitlists are growing, and the organisation is being compelled to divert time and energy into securing supplementary funding streams simply to maintain core services.

WestCASA CEO Annette Vickery said the current environment is unsustainable.

“Sexual Assault Awareness Month is about visibility, but visibility without resourcing places enormous pressure on already stretched services. We are seeing more people reach out than ever before, often with complex and urgent needs, from cost of living to attend an appointment to family violence, yet the funding model has not kept pace.

We are now in the position of having to innovate just to ensure we remain open to those who need us most.”

WestCASA is calling for urgent, long-term investment in specialist sexual assault services to ensure victim survivors can access timely, trauma-informed support without delay.

Without this, the sector risks normalising waitlists and burnout in a space where early intervention and continuity of care are critical to recovery.

“Victim survivors deserve more than a system that is ‘holding on’,” Vickery said. “They deserve a system that is resourced to respond – consistently, compassionately, and without compromise.

“As awareness grows this month, WestCASA is urging Commonwealth and Victorian State Government to match that awareness with meaningful action. 

“Every call to us is a person seeking safety, support, recovery and healing.” Ms Vickery said.