The South West Domestic and Family Violence (DFV) Forum will be held over two days in Charleville, 25–26 November 2025.
The Forum will bring together a diverse group of professionals from across the South West’s DFV community services and broader stakeholders to share knowledge and experience, as well as collaborate to address the unique challenges facing our rural and remote communities.
By increasing knowledge and connections with a range of services across the South West, we hope to strengthen the relationships that are essential if we’re to improve the safety of women, children and our entire community.
The Forum will focus on three key areas: Health & DFV support services, Education (DFV Prevention and DFV Reponses) and broader DFV Stakeholders in the legal space (Legal Services- VPU|QCS) .
We plan to highlight both the success and gaps in current DFV processes in these areas in order to build better more responsive DFV supports and systems.
The Forum will comprise keynote addresses by local women with lived experience as well as short oral presentations from service providers, panel discussions and specialist workshop sessions.
Keynote Speakers:
Jenna Roberts is a proud Aboriginal woman and Assistant Commissioner at the DF&SV Commission. With a background in mental health, substance use, and DF&SV, She has held key leadership roles and is committed to reducing violence against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and children.
Keelen Mailman is a Bidjara woman, DFV survivor, and long-time advocate for respectful relationships and DFV prevention. She was the first Aboriginal woman to manage a cattle station (Mount Tabor) near Augathella and is the author of The Power of Bones. Keelen was named Barnardo’s Mother of the Year (2016) and received an Order of Australia in 2020.
Nikita Sellin, a Yindinji, Wakaman, Bidjarra, and Gungarri woman, is a Queensland DFV Prevention Council member and solicitor. She advocates for DFV-affected communities in Far North Queensland, focusing on legal support, social justice, and youth intervention. Nikita was awarded First Nations Solicitor of the Year by the Queensland Law Society in 2022.
Jade McDonald is a DFV survivor and passionate advocate for change, particularly around coercive control. Her personal journey and advocacy contribute to public awareness, including her recent involvement in Queensland Health’s DFV education toolkit and video resources (launched May 2025).
Melissa Kulan is a Prevention Sector Engagement Lead at Our Watch with a background in community development and women’s health. Mel has worked on community-led approaches to preventing violence, racism and other forms of discrimination using a range of models. She recently led the design of a 2-day program for practitioners called Deepening the change, which supports the implementation of evidence-based primary prevention.
Our partners include:
• Queensland Police Service
• Murweh Shire Council
• Cunnamulla Corporation for Health
• Far West Indigenous Family Violence Services
• Domestic & Family Violence Prevention Council
• Aboriginal Family Legal Services Qld
• Lifeline Darling Downs and South West
• South West Hospital Health Services
• Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal
• 54 reasons
• Charleville RSL
• Work Up Qld
• CWAATSICH
Event Details