The background
In Australia, gendered violence is a significant health and welfare issue affecting individuals, families and communities.
In 2025, Respect Victoria, TACSI and members of the Ballarat community responded by developing the foundational Ballarat community Saturation Model — now known as Respect Ballarat. This model aims to shift the social dynamics that contribute to and enable gendered violence.
“We’re seeing the Ballarat community come together after significant tragedies to take action to build a place free from violence.”
Minister for Prevention of Family Violence, Natalie Hutchins
The process
Across 2024–2025, TACSI and Respect Victoria partnered to co-design the foundational model, prioritising local knowledge and collaboration. The process mobilised diverse stakeholders, drawing representatives from family violence prevention and response organisations, local council, health and education specialists, culturally diverse communities, LGBTIQ+ communities, volunteers, community groups, young people and academia.
Our co-design engagement included:
Five facilitated co-design workshops, bringing together a dedicated group of 16 co-designers who reflected a range of identities and experiences in Ballarat
36 community connector conversations across four priority populations: young people, men, LGBTIQ+ communities and culturally and racially marginalised communities
Two sector conversations, connecting 48 community members and organisations and their expertise across diverse sectors
Through this collaborative process, and using TACSI’s ‘Now-Future-How’ framework, we co-designed:
A set of Stories of Now: the community’s experience of the current context
A set of Stories of Future: a shared vision for a Ballarat free from violence
Stories of How: pathways of change to connect the now to the envisioned future
A co-designed Foundational Saturation Model, including how to plan ‘waves’ of saturation over time and core implementation principles
The Saturation Model
A Saturation Model is a way of planning and delivering mutually reinforcing prevention activities over time. The goal is to ‘saturate’ a community with initiatives that prevent gendered violence and generate greater impact. At the model’s heart is a vision of a proactive and connected Ballarat, ensuring its reach extends to all the places where people work, learn, live and play.
To strengthen the model, we developed a set of six implementation principles to guide how change is implemented and evaluated:
Platform prevention as everyone’s responsibility
Take a meaningful intersectional approach
Embed lived experience perspectives
Start with community strengths and strengthen with evidence
Learn and partner to build sustainable, long-term change
Strengthen connection and belonging
The foundational model prioritises work with men, children and young people, new parents and emerging leaders – building a network of local changemakers to strengthen community potential and help shift attitudes that drive violence.
Read about the model principles on the Respect Victoria website.
What’s next
Respect Victoria has partnered with Ballarat Foundation to administer a grants program that will contribute to the outcomes of Respect Ballarat. Applications opened on Monday 20 October 2025, and close on Friday 12 December 2025.
To stay updated, refer to the Ballarat Foundation website and subscribe to the Ballarat mailing list.
Want to learn more?
Follow Respect Ballarat on their website.