WHAT IS PRIDE MONTH?
Pride Month is an annual celebration of LGBTQIA+ people and their history, recognising and celebrating diversity in sexuality while promoting equal rights for everyone.
Latest press release
Victoria passes nation-leading laws to keep children safe, families strong
Two landmark pieces of legislation passed the Victorian Parliament this week which remove the strict time-limit for Family Reunification Orders, as well as creating a nation-leading shared responsibility across government to improve outcomes for children, young people and families.
The Children, Youth and Families Amendment (Stability) Bill 2025 removes strict time-limits for family reunification orders, acquitting Recommendation 25 of the Yoorrook for Justice report.
This means that parents have additional time to access support and make changes to have their children returned to their care, where it is safe to do so and in the best interests of the child.
GPV/KCV joins with other critics condemning the closure of the parentline service after 25 years of service to Victorian parents and carers.With a relatively small annual budget of $1.3 million dollars, the confidential counselling phone line support service has supported up to 18,000 families a year.
KCV has referred many kinship carers to the service over the years and knows that it will be missed by them.
“At a time when we can find plenty of money for sporting facilities, we cannot find a meagre amount of money to sustain a ‘tried and true’ service for the most vulnerable families in Victoria.“
Anne McLeish, OAM
Director
Dear Reader,
Moves taken by Sweden to replace books with computers has had a negative effect on learning experiences of children and young people. So 15 years later they are reversing this trend and have allocated millions of dollars to do so.
GPV/KCV welcome comments about this move.
Cheers
Anne McLeish, OAM
Director
Article by Sacha Payne, published 2 Jan 2025 on abc.net.org
Dear Reader,
As loneliness comes into the spotlight it is important that we all do whatever we can to redress it, not only for our own sakes but also for those close to us and in our community. KCV endorses this paper issued by Relationships Australia and urges you to read and share it about.
Cheers
Anne McLeish
It is a feature in the GPV/KCV campaign to ensure that physical punishment of children is made illegal across Australia.
The video is a reminder that positive discipline can work and should be viewed in conjunction with reading written materials on positive discipline.
Non-physical types of discipline for children and young people (booklet)
Reasons not to hit children (article)
Physical punishment in Australia (video)
GPV/KCV commends signing the petition to have physical punishment made illegal across Australia.
https://www.change.org/p/end-physical-punishment-of-children-protect-australian-children
Grandmothers and grandmothers in Canada, Australia, the UK and US have rallied in response to the crisis faced by grandmothers in Africa as they struggle to raise millions of children orphaned by AIDS. Local groups are raising funds in their communities to support the life-enhancing programs run by grandmothers in Africa and the community-led organisations who support them.
GPV is pleased to support this movement, which aims to amplify the voices and expertise of grandmothers, showing the world that leadership by older women is critical in reclaiming hope and rebuilding resilience across communities.
The Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign seeks for all grandmothers:
• Access to equitable and free health care
• Protection against discrimination and violence
• Protection and enforcement of land rights
• Improved quality of life and standard of living
• Quality education for our grandchildren
• Inclusion in decision-making bodies and policy discussions as representatives of older persons, women, people living with HIV, and caregivers.
The campaign was launched in 2006 as an initiative of the Stephen Lewis Foundation and has raised more than $40 million in support of it.
There are three local Grandmothers to Grandmothers groups in Australia. They are based in:
• Emerald, Victoria
• Barrington, NSW
• Mt Claremont in WA
