Tasmanian podcast second season aims to encourage bystander action against family violence

Rule of Thumb made by local group Healthy Tasmania with Women's Legal Service Tasmania was released in November last year and the first season focussed on the legal system confronting women fleeing family violence.

The second season shifts the conversation to what outsiders, or bystanders, can do to help reduce family violence and even intervene before the violence becomes physical.

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Healthy Tasmania creative director Penny Terry said receiving feedback about season one of the podcast had reiterated to her the work that still needed to be done and encouraged her through season two.

"In doing [the podcast] we start to understand some of the problems with the system," she said.

"The feedback we're getting from people who listen is they start considering their own situation and the conversations they've had with families, friends, in workplaces, with colleagues and what they might be able to do differently.

"[People] get so involved in the story and the story of the women, the lawyers and the councillors that I spoke to that I know they keep thinking about it after the episode is over and I think that's what's really important when people go back out into the world."

In recognising the value of the educational podcast, the federal and state governments both provided funding to help produce the podcast.

Federal women's safety minister Anne Ruston, who was in Launceston to help "officially launch" the podcast said she was pleased to support the podcast considering its capacity to share information with women fleeing family violence.

"The first thing it does is its actually got the experience of women who have experienced the [legal] process telling their story and telling people how they can navigate a process that can be quite tricky and can be quite difficult," she said.

"People who are navigating it are often at their most vulnerable."

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Bass Liberal MHR Bridget Archer, an advocate for stopping family violence herself, said the podcast could help survivors navigate the family law system.

She said it was also an example of the government targeting programs informed by people who are impacted by family violence and the systems it forces exposure to.

Women's Legal Service Tasmania chief executive Yvette Cehtel said groups like the service she heads up had a powerful role to play in educating the community about the insidiousness of family violence.

"Specialist women's services work with family violence every day and see the far reaching impact of gender inequality ... we are in an ideal position to produce targeted resources at a community level that speak to the needs of the community," she said.

The podcast is available on streaming services and online at healthytasmania.com.au.

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