It Starts With Us is a documentary and social impact project, developed with family violence prevention advocate Rosie Batty and young people from Frankston North, Victoria. Produced by arts and social change company Big hART, it builds on Project O, a successfully evaluated arts-based prevention program, delivered over a decade with young people around the country, in areas with high rates of family violence.
Family violence is a national crisis in Australia, with 2 in 5 children under the age of 18 exposed.* There is an urgent need for innovative prevention programs for young people, yet prevention receives less than 5% of sector funding.**
Without meaningful investment in prevention, how can we expect change?
It Starts With Us combines film and advocacy to raise awareness and drive funding toward youth-focused prevention programs across the country, focusing on the early behaviours and conditions that lead to family violence.
It Starts With Us premiered on ABC TV and is streaming on ABC iView from 17th August 2025.
Accompanied by a suite of education resources developed for community and classroom settings, this project demonstrates ‘prevention in action’, outlining workshops and mentoring approaches that are practical, achievable and engaging for young people.
*Australian Child Maltreatment Study, 2023
**Australia lacks consistent data on funding allocated to family violence prevention. This statistic has been derived from a range of sources in different states.
What's On
‘It Starts With Us’ Impact Events
Impact Showings (CANBERRA | MELBOURNE | SYDNEY)
As the 16 days of Activism Against Gender-Based violence draws closer, don’t miss the opportunity to register for It Starts With Us – a special documentary screening and panel discussion exploring family violence prevention, and young people contributing to change.
Canberra | in partnership with ANROWS (Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety)
Panel includes: Jodie Belyea MP; Tessa Boyd-Caine, CEO of ANROWS, Hon. Ged Kearney MP, young people from the film Date: 24 November 2025
Time: 12pm-2pm
Location: Canberra Parliament House Theatrette
RSVP Here: https://events.humanitix.com/it-starts-with-us-impact-screening
Melbourne | in partnership with Respect VIC
Panel includes: Paul Edbrooke MP;Tim Richardson MP; Helen Bolton, CEO Respect VIC; Rosie Batty; Angela Dickson, Economist, young people from the film
Date: 1 December 2025 Time: 10am – 11.30am
Location: Kino Cinema, 45 Collins Street, Melbourne RSVP Here: https://events.humanitix.com/it-starts-with-us
Sydney | in partnership with Women and Girls Emergency Centre (WAGEC)
Panel includes: Dr Hannah Tonkin, Inaugural Women’s Safety Commission; Dixie Link-Gordon, Full Stop Australia & WAGEC, Nicole Yade, CEO WAGEC; Matthew Balane, Community Development Practitioner, young people from the film
Date: 5 December 2025 Time: 5.30pm – 7.30pm
Location: State Library, Auditorium, 1 Shakespeare Pl, Sydney RSVP Here: https://itstartswithus.raiselysite.com/
24 November, 1 December, 5 December 2025