We are now into the third week of our Share With Us survey, planning ahead for our next regional visit and finalising details for our statewide Student Summit.

Thank you to everyone who has completed the Share With Us survey, and to the many agencies and advocates who have helped share the link within their networks. This has ensured the details about Share With Us have been distributed across metropolitan and regional South Australia, through agencies and service providers and via the media.

The survey is open until December 10, so I urge you to continue to talk to your friends, families and colleagues. There is also a short video on our website to talk you through the process. It is an anonymous and confidential opportunity to share insights and experiences of the sector with me.

Every piece of information helps me to develop a deeper understanding of the domestic, family and sexual violence systems in our state, and contributes to our research and recommendations.

Another significant piece of work is our Student Summit, which will be held next Friday, November 1. Held in conjunction with the Commissioner for Children and Young People Helen Connolly, the summit will bring around 120 students together to address the topic of “Creating safety for all in SA”.

I want to listen to the voices of our young people in a safe and supported way. The insights from the summit will help me consider what more we need to do to ensure children and young people can safely live, study, work and play in South Australia.

We are about to embark on our next regional visit – this time to Port Lincoln, where we will meet with some of the service providers, agencies and also hear from people with lived experience. While in Port Lincoln, we will host a meeting of our Aboriginal Partnership Committee, and I look forward to listening to this group, and working in partnership with them, as we consider recommendations about service delivery for Aboriginal communities in South Australia.

While our four month “listening phase” is coming to a close, November signals the start of Public Hearings. This will be when the Commission begins to dig deeper into some of the emerging themes, and hear from experts and professionals in the field. More information on the Public Hearings and how you can access the live stream will be available shortly.

Natasha Stott Despoja AO

Commissioner