Keynote: Being a church pursuing Justice with Jesus.

Hannah lectures in Hermeneutics and Systematic Theology at Ridley Theological College in Melbourne. She has served in ministry in various churches across Melbourne, particularly with young adults, and with children and families. Hannah was involved in the establishment of the Ridley Women’s Preaching Network, and currently leads the team for Ridley’s biennial Evangelical Women in Academia (EWA) conference).

Keynote: Trauma in the Pews

Dr Katherine Thompson is a Mental Health Social Worker, academic, researcher and author.

She is passionate about supporting young people to live their best life and seeks to encourage people in ministry to thrive in their role. These interests are expressed in her counselling, supervision, tertiary teaching, writing and public speaking.

Panel Discussion: Pastoring in Tension: Supporting both victims and those who choose violence.

Todd Darvas is the Lead Pastor of H3O Church, a Baptist Church on the Northern Beaches of Sydne. In addition to pastoral ministry, Todd works bi-vocationally as a family lawyer with a Christian non-profit, running a free legal clinic in the Dee Why area for people experiencing Domestic Violence and family breakdown. 

Keynote: The churches response: A Survivor’s Story of Harm and Hope reflects on the church’s response.

Naomi is a trained social worker, specialising in trauma and community-based mental health. She is currently working towards a PhD in trauma and the Hebrew Bible through Trinity College, Melbourne. She is also a survivor of domestic violence and serves as a survivor representative on the Families and Culture Commission.

Keynote: The churches ministry to youth: Raising Our Young People Amidst the Perfect Storm: Influencers, media, peers and p0rnography : their impact the nature and prevalence of domestic and family violence. Marshall is a keynote speaker, author, researcher who specialises in online sexualisation education, with over 25 years of experience supporting children, youth, and families.

++This keynote is prerecorded.

Men’s Summit speaker

Dr Shane Tas is Principal Advisor, Masculinities at Our Watch. He was the lead author of the Men in focus report and supports evidence-building activities across the prevention sector. He is a researcher and educator in gender and sexuality studies with a particular focus on men and masculinities.

Men’s Summit Speaker

Rev’d Dr Tim Watson trained in England and completed his PhD studies at Oxford. He brings parish, cathedral, traditional and contemporary worship experience to his new role as Precentor at St Paul’s Cathedral, Melbourne. Tim also has experience in church planting and ministry education and is known for his pastoral heart.

Men’s Summit Convenor.

Rev’d Scott Holmes combines experience in parish ministry with experience as a primary prevention practitioner and will lead our Men’s Summit on Day Two. Scott serves on the Anglican Church’s Families & Culture Commission and the committee of management for Melbourne diocese’s PVAW program.

Guest Speaker: Network Event

Tim is the Parliamentary Secretary for Men's Behaviour Change in Victoria. A role created to focus on reducing family violence and promoting respectful relationships among men and boys. This is the first position of its kind in Australia. The role aims to address the influence of the internet and social media on men's attitudes towards women and to foster positive masculinity. Tim works to make Victoria a safer place for women and children and contribute to ending the tragedy of deaths of Victorian women at the hands of men. 

Panel: Core features of a faithful church response. A holistic and systemic church response.

Facilitator: Communities That Care Stream (Tuesday)– Practical bystander skills for safer churches.

Tracy is the National Program Manager for Families & Culture for the Anglican Church of Australia. She leads the church's response to prevent and respond to DFV. Tracy worked as a Training & Development professional before training for ministry and working in local church ministry for 20 years.

Men’s Summit Speaker

David Hawkins is a stay-at-home-dad turned father inclusion advocate. Working with fathers in the community and with early years services, David is helping drive system and social change to ensure that all parents have the opportunity to be an equal parenting partner within their family. This change cannot evolve without the support of emerging academic evidence and David is proud to be an active member of the Australian Fatherhood Research Consortium.

Argho Biswas is an ordained Anglican priest who grew up in Kolkata, India—fondly known as the “City of Joy.” 

 In 2021, following a call to serve beyond his homeland, Argho joined the Anglican Diocese of Melbourne, where he now serves as the Vicar of Holy Trinity Anglican Church, Hampton Park. He is passionate about youth engagement, community building, and intergenerational ministry. And focuses on engaging the church to be a strong voice and advocate the cause of prevention of violence against women.

Communities that Care Training Stream

The Reverend Melanie Whalley serves as a Parish Priest. She holds a Graduate Certificate in Domestic Violence Responses from Queensland University of Technology and is an active member of the Diocese’s Domestic and Family Violence Working Group. Rev. Whalley brings both a deep pastoral perspective and insights from the domestic and family violence sector to the intersection of faith, care, and safety. She is a strong advocate for compassionate, informed responses and prevention strategies within both church and community settings.

Communities that Care Training Stream.

Sharon Lockwood is Survivor Advocate for the Anglican Diocese of Adelaide. She has over 33 years’ experience in social work practice specialising in preventing and responding to gender-based violence. She has worked in a variety of settings, such as the University of South Australia as Counsellor and Training Coordinator (Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment), as well as the University of Adelaide, Yarrow Place Rape and Sexual Assault Service and Victim Support Service.