Victim Survivors' Advisory Council Expression of Interest

VSAC meetings are held online or in person, about six times per year. What happens at each meeting can vary. Often, teams that are designing or reviewing a program, policy or law bring their work to the Council and ask for its views. Members are usually asked about improvements for people with lived experience of family and sexual violence. Sessions where members are asked questions about a particular topic are called consultations.

Examples of what these meetings have previously included:

• consultation on the Family Violence Reform Rolling Action Plan 2025-2027 under the 10-year plan for change
• a law reform project on improving protection for children and young people on Family Violence Intervention Orders
• consultation to inform the drafting of new laws such as to non-fatal strangulation and coercive control
• Meetings can also include time to meet with key decision makers, such as government Ministers. Members may present on the Council’s priorities.

Formal meetings run for four hours usually from 10:30am to 2:30pm. Members should expect to do 1 to 2 hours of pre-reading before each meeting. Pre-reading gives you the background you need to take part in discussions. For in person meetings, you will need to allow travel time. For members living in regional Victoria, we cover accommodation and travel costs.

Here is an example of a formal meeting agenda from 2026:

1. (10:30 – 10:35am) Welcome and introductions. Acknowledgement of Country and victim survivors of family violence
2. (10:35 – 10:50am) Updates from Family Safety Victoria
3. (10:50 – 12:00pm) Consultation 1: Family Violence Intervention Order (FVIOs) reforms VSAC gives feedback to the Victorian Government Department of Justice and Community Safety on proposed changes to FVIOs
4. (12:00 – 12:35pm) Break
5. (12:35 – 1:15pm) Consultation 2: VSAC gives input to improve crisis services and support
6. (1:15 – 1.25pm) Break
7. (1:25 – 1.55pm) Consultation 2 continued
8. (1:55 – 2:15pm) Member updates
9. (2:15 – 2:30pm) Closing remarks

As well as meetings, members can join consultations, co-design or advisory groups.

These types of opt-in sessions involve seeking input from a small number of VSAC members to participate in workshops, online discussions or to provide written feedback on a particular issue.

Opt-in consultations are circulated to members, who are invited to submit an expression of interest for any work they are interested in or where they have relevant experience.

Examples of these opportunities include:

• participating in training videos for police on how to engage with children and young people experiencing family violence
• providing feedback on a national campaign to stop violence before it starts
• joining an advisory group for a conference to ensure children and young people’s voices are represented.

It’s okay not to have any previous advocacy, leadership or advisory experience. Focus on the skills and strengths you will bring to the role of VSAC member in your application. Members have a range of diverse experience and everyone is at a different stage in their journey.

It can be daunting when you’re first starting out to understand how your lived experience can help to improve services, systems and laws. Members are not expected to be experts in these issues. Family Safety Victoria organises regular information sessions for members on different aspects of the family and sexual violence reforms to support your learning and participation on the Council

Being a member of VSAC needs a set amount of time during business hours. We will talk with you about the time needed during the application process.

It can help to create a separate email address for VSAC communications. This can help you keep different parts of your life organised. At first, it can be difficult to choose what to participate in, because there are lots of opt-in projects, consultations, and workshops. After a while you will be able to filter what comes in based on your interests, experience and capacity.

It depends on your individual preference and circumstances. Some members are comfortable with public-facing activities and advocacy. Others prefer to do their advocacy anonymously. They may use pseudonyms and opt out of public events or photography.

Members are not expected to share any personal details of their experience, although you can choose to do so. There are many ways to contribute to improving the family and sexual violence system and keep your privacy. FSV will help protect your identity.

What is shared with the Council is for that meeting only. We advise people not to share or discuss it. Anything shared is shared with permission and must always be de-identified for privacy and safety reasons.

We encourage VSAC members to have their own therapeutic and personal support systems in place.

Members can use confidential debriefing support from an external provider. This is available for the whole term of your appointment and for six months after your time on VSAC ends.

The Secretariat can talk to you about your circumstances and any adjustments you need to take part in the Council.

Background

Current and former VSAC members say their time on the Council has been rewarding personally and professionally. They describe many chances to learn and grow. Members are strongly motivated by improving the family violence system for other victim-survivors.

This work can be hard, and uncomfortable at times for people who have experienced trauma and violence. FSV offers individual and group de-briefing sessions to Council members. But VSAC is not a therapeutic group. It is not a substitute for counselling or other therapy.

We encourage VSAC members to have personal and professional supports in place during their term.

Self-reflection tool

This tool can help you think about your goals and whether you are ready to join VSAC.

We encourage you to reflect on the questions below to help you decide if this work is for right you.

You may want to revisit these questions every six months as a way to reflect on your journey.

Questions

• What motivated you to be involved in VSAC?
• What do you want to achieve by taking part in VSAC?
• Has enough time passed since your experience (or your family member’s) for you to feel ready and safe to take part?
• Are you prepared to listen to other members’ experiences and views? They may differ from yours and be distressing to hear.
• What will you bring to VSAC (ideas, information, knowledge, skills, experience)?
• Do you understand the time the role needs, and can you commit to it?
• What type of support do you need to take part (training, resources, mentoring etc)?
• Do you have any legal or privacy considerations that might impact on your capacity to take part in VSAC?
• What do you do for self-care?
• What support systems do you have in place? These can be formal such as professional care or informal like community, friends and pets.

Payment rates: Victim Survivors’ Advisory Council members

The table below shows payment rates for people with lived experience who give advice to government on the family violence reform. The sitting fee for VSAC is based on government guidelines for board members. Hourly rates match other similar programs in the community and government sectors.

Please note

• The sitting fees are set by the Victorian Government’s Appointment and Remuneration Guidelines for a Group C board.
• Sitting fees are paid for participation in key governance groups where VSAC is represented. These include the Family Violence Reform Advisory Group and the Dhelk Dja Partnership forum. This is due to the time commitment involved and the strategic nature of these groups.
• The hourly rate is fixed so that everyone in a group is paid the same amount, and this is consistent across activities. There is a minimum payment of two hours for online meetings and three hours for face-to-face meetings. Hourly rates are paid to VSAC members for the activities outlined in the table.
• We will discuss and agree on the hours for each activity in advance. This makes expectation and payment clear before you start any work. For example, we might agree that a workshop is 1-hour pre-reading and 2-hour workshop, amounting to three hours in total.
• VSAC engagements are sessional. You are not expected to be available a set number of days per week.

Mechanisms for payment

• VSAC members are appointed as sessional members. They are paid through the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing payroll system.

Travel guidelines

• People living in rural and regional Victoria are encouraged to apply. For members needing to travel to participate on the Council, travel and accommodation provisions apply.

Background

The Victorian Government established the Victim Survivors’ Advisory Council (VSAC) in 2016. This followed the Royal Commission into Family Violence. VSAC brings the perspectives of victim survivors to Victoria’s family and sexual violence system. The Council consists of 15 members and represents diverse communities and experiences. The Minister for Prevention of Family Violence appoints VSAC members.

Family Safety Victoria (FSV) is a division of the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFH). Since 2017, is has lead many of the Victorian Government’s family violence reforms. FSV works to:

• implement key recommendations from the Royal Commission
• make it easier for people to get the help they need
• make sure people with lived experience and specialist expertise guide reform
• bring together organisations together that prevent and respond to family and sexual violence.

The VSAC Secretariat coordinates all engagement with VSAC.

The role of a VSAC member

VSAC members:

• provide advice to the Victorian Government on the prevention and response to family and sexual violence
• help design, develop and evaluate family and sexual violence services, programs, policy and laws
• find ways to improve outcomes for people experiencing family and sexual violence.

VSAC advises the Minister for Prevention of Family Violence.

The Minister appoints members to the Council.

VSAC is an advisory council and operates within the Victorian Government’s standard appointment and remuneration guidelines for governance bodies.

VSAC members participate in 6 meetings each year. Members provide advice related to the design and development of:

• programs
• policies
• services and
• laws.

Members are expected to attend 80 per cent of formal meetings held each year.

Accountabilities

VSAC members will be required to:

• provide advice on the programs, policies, services and laws using their lived experience
• be available to fulfil the requirements of Council membership, including:
  • participate in regular meetings
  • reading meeting documentation
  • participating in other occasional activities
• participate in in good faith and behave in a way that reflects the Council’s Code of Care⁴
• contribute to a safe, inclusive and trauma-informed environment for all members
• welcome diverse perspectives and agree to disagree when views differ
• protect confidentiality, privacy, identifying details and anything shared in confidence and respect personal stories
• act with integrity and transparency and declare any conflicts of interest.

Skills, experience and attributes

Important personal qualities for VSAC members are:

• Lived experience: You have an ability to apply your experience of family and/or sexual violence to proposed policies, laws and services.
• Teamwork: You can work as a member of a team. You can be empathetic, listen and respect different perspectives. You are open-minded and curious and collaborate to form collective positions.
• Advocacy: You have an interest in professional and personal growth. You can take on new perspectives, issues and government processes.
• Reflection: You can reflect on your contributions and ways of working within a group,.You have an awareness of what may challenge or impact you.
• Readiness: You feel ready to undertake an advisory role. This may include:
  • whether you feel safe enough to participate
  • whether there are legal or privacy considerations that might impact your involvement
  • if you have the supports or resources required for the role.

Commitment to diversity

Government trusts, boards and committees reflect the rich diversity of the Victorian community. The Victorian Government’s Women on Boards commitment has been in effect since 2015. All public boards have no less than 50 per cent women. We encourage applications from:

• people of all ages
• Aboriginal people
• people with disability
• people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds
• lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, gender diverse and intersex people

We will provide adjustments to the recruitment process upon request.

Term of the role

VSAC members serve on the Council for up to a three-years. The Council has a staggered membership process. Half of the Council members leave VSAC at the end of their term. l. It means that longer-serving members can support new members.

^{4 The Code of Care is developed collaboratively by VSAC members and is a group agreement outlining the Council’s ways of working.}

Family Safety Victoria is part of the Victorian Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFH). We are committed to protecting personal information you give us in line with the principles of the Victorian privacy laws, including those set out in the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 (Vic).

You can read more about how your privacy is protected with your web activity on this site in the Victorian Government's privacy policy.

A small number of FSV staff who work on recruitment will see the information you provide. A VSAC member on the interview panel will also see information about recommended applicants.

We collect sensitive information about whether you are part of a diverse community group. We use it to make sure VSAC includes a diverse range of voices and experiences of family violence.

The Council’s main role is to provide advice on policy, service design and delivery, and law reform. This is part of the family violence reforms that began after Victoria’s Royal Commission into Family Violence in 2016. We also collect sensitive information about your contact with the family and sexual violence system since 2016. This helps make sure new members have recent experience that can inform ongoing reform work.

When you apply, you agree that FSV can collect and use the personal and sensitive information in your responses for the purposes above.

Your application may include information about your:

• racial or ethnic background
• sexuality
• criminal record or
• religious beliefs.

If so, we take it that you agree to us collecting this information. You do not have to share it.

Further information on how FSV and DFFH collect and use your personal information can be found in DFFH’s privacy policy.

You can ask to see and correct your personal information. To do this email FSV.Engagement@familysafety.vic.gov.au. In some cases, we may handle requests for personal information under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Vic).