On Thursday 5 June, the Give Where You Live Foundation proudly hosted its fourth Conversations That Matter event, featuring Brittany Higgins who delivered a powerful and deeply personal keynote in the fight against gender-based violence.
The event, attended by over 300 people, was generously sponsored by WorkSafe Victoria, GMHBA, and the TAC.
Renowned journalist and event MC, Mary Gearin, opened the conversation by acknowledging the gravity and urgency of the gender-based violence crisis facing Australia.
“We have the stats. We know the theories. Now we need to act. We need to have these conversations—and we need to listen. To people like Brittany Higgins, our guest speaker today,” Gearin said.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, more than 1 in 4 women—over 2.3 million Australians—have experienced violence by an intimate partner since the age of 15.
In her address, Brittany Higgins, confronted this reality, drawing on the powerful data, her lived experience, the immense challenges of speaking out and the ongoing need for justice, support, and systemic reform.
“I stand before you today not just as Brittany Higgins — not just as someone whose name became a headline — but as a woman who, like far too many others, was failed by the very system that’s supposed to protect us,” Ms Higgins opened.
Higgins warned of the growing pushback, not only against survivors, but against the idea of sexual violence as a serious, systemic, cultural issue. Drawing on her own experience of navigating the legal system, she called for reforms that centre victim-survivors, uphold their rights, and ensure they are not further traumatised by the pursuit of justice.
“Like so many people, until I actually was forced to engage in the criminal justice system, I didn’t realise how brutalising it is to report a rape and how hard it is to navigate the legal
system,” she said. “We must reimagine the criminal justice system as a space where survivors are supported, heard and treated with dignity.”
“I am not standing here today to tear down the legal system. I’m standing here to say: it wasn’t built for us. And it hasn’t evolved fast enough to meet the needs of a society that now demands better.”
Brittany Higgins also highlighted the growing cultural drivers of sexual violence, warning about the rise of online misogyny and how digital platforms are targeting young people with
harmful content.
“Spend just 30 minutes on TikTok as a teenage boy with a fresh account, and you are likely to be served misogynistic, violent, or anti-feminist content. This isn’t anecdotal – it’s algorithmic.”
“Rape culture has digitised. It has professionalised. And it’s targeting the next generation of boys at a rate we are unprepared for.”
In closing, Brittany reminded the audience that while justice will never come easily, it will never come at all if we stop demanding it.
“This work will be difficult. It will be uncomfortable. It will involve letting go of centuries of inherited legal thinking. But it will be worth it—because the next generation deserve to live in a country where justice doesn’t come at the cost of survival.”
“We must demand transparency, publish the statistics, measure what matters and make silence impossible. We must defend affirmative consent laws—and ensure they’re reflected in police training, prosecutorial decision-making, and judicial practice. We must fund the frontlines—not just with grants, but with structural, long-term investment. We must resist the cultural retreat from
#MeToo and call out the rehabilitation of predators as the gaslighting that it is.”
“And most of all, we must remember that the standard you walk past is the standard you accept.”
Give Where You Live Foundation CEO, Zac Lewis, said the Foundation was proud to provide a platform for such an important and urgent conversation and to support Brittany in sharing her powerful message.
“Conversations That Matter was designed to raise important issues we don’t always get to talk about as a community. These conversations can be confronting and uncomfortable—but
they are essential if we want to create real and lasting change,” said Mr Lewis. “At the Give Where You Live Foundation, we recognise the privileged position we hold and we’re proud to open spaces like this and elevate the voices of those with lived experience.”
“Today, we were honoured to hear directly from Brittany Higgins, whose courage and leadership continue to inspire and advocate for victim-survivors across Australia. Brittany’s mission is clear — to build a world where survivors are not silenced, where their stories are heard, and where systemic change is not only possible, but inevitable.”
The event also featured a powerful panel discussion on gendered violence, facilitated by Mary Gearin, and featuring panellists with lived experience, Kerriann Campbell-Jones, CEO, The Sexual Assault & Family Violence Centre and Reuben Williams, Founder of SportsGrad. Both speakers shared deeply personal reflections on their experiences with the justice system, and how they’ve channelled those experiences into advocacy and change.
The Give Where You Live Foundation acknowledges the strength, trauma, and resilience of all people impacted by sexual and family violence and remains committed to advancing conversations that challenge systems and drive community-led change.
For anyone impacted by sexual violence, you’re not alone, support is available. For help, please contact The Sexual Assault & Family Violence Centre on 03 5222 4318