Women’s Health Goulburn North East has been at the forefront of driving change, launching its “respect and equity” campaign last month.

The goal was to put respect at the forefront of all parts of life, from recognising that the statement “you kicked like a girl” is an insult to both genders, to ensuring that it is not only women asked to do jobs such as getting coffee and taking minutes at a meeting.

WHGNE family violence trainer Rachael Mackay said the organisation wanted to dispel the myth violence against women was a taboo topic.

One of the campaign’s first events will be a workshop for people such as councillors, public relations staff and family violence practitioners to learn how to speak out about the sensitive issue.

“It’s appropriate that the causes and outcomes of violence against women are reported in the media to shed light on the issues, but too often this coverage leads to victim blaming and uninformed judgements,” she said.

“For many journalists and those working with the media on these issues, the topic is challenging to understand and responses difficult to articulate.

“Best results are achieved when the needs of the media can be met and the appropriate messages about preventing violence against women clearly communicated.”

Employees at Wodonga’s Telstra Shop already worked in an environment where male aggression was just a relic of the past, led by their manager Barbara Toal.

The store was one of the Albury-Wodonga White Ribbon ball sponsors.

Richard Pineros said it was surprising to hear men still felt the need to commit violence against women.

“Barb’s always been passionate about supporting gender equality, supporting women … she always tries to empower women in the workplace,” he said.

The Victorian government will launch the state’s first “gender equality strategy” next month, based on conversations Prevention of Family Violence Minister Fiona Richardson had with groups such as WHGNE in Wangaratta in July.