A prominent Orange leader has opened up on her personal experiences with domestic violence as the latest bid to tackle "harrowing" rates across town clears its first hurdle.
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At Tuesday night's Civic Centre meeting Councillor Melanie McDonell said she is a "twice-survivor". She implored colleagues to support the roll out of a proposed new awareness campaign.
"We don't talk about it. We're getting a lot better as a society of talking about mental health, but with DV we're nowhere near that," McDonell said.
"DV is not just physical, emotional, financial, sexual, and it's not as obvious as seeing bruises and broken limbs.
"This is something we need to raise awareness of ... I'm getting better at talking about my experience ... the more we encourage people to tell their stories the more people will realise it's everywhere."
Government statistics reveal the Central West has among the highest domestic violence rates statewide. In Orange police responded to about 332 incidents between July 2021 and June 2022.
This equated to about 7.8 incidents per 1000 people, well over double the NSW average. Studies suggest as many as 60 per cent of victims do not report abuse.
On Tuesday Orange City Council voted unanimously to support a 16 day campaign against gender-based violence. Initiatives may include installation of banners at town entrances and partnerships with local sports teams.
The push was brought by Cr David Mallard. He said: "There are organisations [in Orange] doing great work ... What local government can do in particular is whole of community work to shift attitudes and behaviour."
Mayor Jason Hamling said: "The statistics are nothing to be proud of. They're the worst statistics. Any way as community leaders we can endorse that message that we do not accept domestic violence of any sort ... I support this 110 per cent."
Deputy Mayor Gerald Power said: "This is an epidemic ... it's something we really need to get on the front foot ... the last stat I read said Orange is leading Bathurst. We don't want to be proud of that."
Cr Tammy Greenhalgh thanked Cr McDonell for "bravely" sharing her experiences. She described the rates of abuse in Orange as "harrowing."
Orange Local Court devotes a full day each month to sentencing for domestic violence crimes. In December last year magistrate David Day hit out at the "shameful" frequency of offending.
"It's appalling ... we must make an attempt to break the cycle.The prevalence of domestic violence in this area is higher than anywhere else in NSW other than Quakers Hill," he said.
In September Orange Police told the Central Western Daily domestic violence is becoming significantly more frequent across the region. "Domestic violence is the most common crime that we attend," inspector Brett Smith said at the time.
The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence will run in Orange between November 25 and December 10, 2023.
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