The Victim Survivors’ Advisory Council (VSAC) was established following Victoria’s Royal Commission into Family Violence in 2016 to give people with lived experience of family or sexual violence a voice, and ensure they are consulted on how as part of the Victorian Government’s family and sexual violence reform.
Members of VSAC are selected to represent the diversity of the Victorian community, with members from a range of ages, identities, cultures and communities across the state.
The role of VSAC is to:
- bring lived experience to inform the Victoria’s family and sexual violence initiatives and policies
- provide advice and insights to the Victorian Government to influence the design and development of services, policy, laws and systems to prevent and respond to family and sexual violence
- work collaboratively to strengthen the family and sexual violence system for victim survivors, hold people who use violence to account, and prevent violence from happening in the first place
- provide advice that reflects the diversity of the family violence experience.
Lived Experience Strategy
The Family Violence Lived Experience Strategy calls on the Victorian Government and the sector to embed lived experience across the full spectrum of family and sexual violence reform.
The strategy outlines the key phases in working together to transform a system to meet the needs of the people who use it.
Find out more about the Family Violence Lived Experience Strategy.
Victim Survivors’ Advisory Council 2025 Statement
The Victim Survivors’ Advisory Council Statement was developed by VSAC in 2025 to articulate their vision for the next stage of reform, to complement the Victorian Government’s ‘Until every Victorian is safe: Third rolling action plan to end family and sexual violence 2025-2027’.
VSAC encourages the Victorian Government to continue to embed lived experience leadership at the centre of reform, and for government, the sector and the broader community to continue to work together to prevent and respond to family and sexual violence in Victoria.
Read the Victim Survivors’ Advisory Council Statement – September 2025.
Current VSAC members
The Victorian Government appointed a new Victim Survivors Advisory Council in October 2025.
The 15-person council includes eight new members, each with lived experience of family violence. This is the fifth iteration of the council since it was established in 2016.
VSAC members bring a wide range of lived experience, insights and professional expertise, to help shape Victoria’s family violence initiatives and policies.
Council members are appointed for a three-year term, with half the council onboarding and offboarding every 18 months.
Members
Please note, some names have been changed to protect identities
- Katie (Co-Chair)
- Annie (Co-Chair)
- Dawn
- Emily
- Helen
- Lyanne
- Zaiba
- Rebeckah
- Nelly
- Suze
- Elizabeth
- Julie-Ann
- Lauren
- Corey
- Mystina
Previous VSAC members
- Reflections from previous VSAC members, from 2020-2022.
- Reflections from the inaugural VSAC members, from 2016-2019.
Updated