You Are Not Alone: Roy Butler Launches Free Anonymous Support Forum for Women Across Western NSW This Monday

In Short 

• Member for Barwon Roy Butler has organised a free, women-only online forum on Monday 9 March from 9:30am to 11am AEDT, connecting women across Western and Far West NSW with specialist domestic violence services covering health, legal, housing, police and mental health support.
• No registration is required, cameras can stay off, and questions can be submitted privately through a moderated chat — making it safe and accessible for women in any situation.
• Safe in-person viewing rooms with Wi-Fi and screens are available at council facilities across Warren, Narromine, Walgett, Lightning Ridge, Brewarrina and Broken Hill.

A conversation with a domestic abuse survivor has moved Member for Barwon Roy Butler to act, with the independent MP launching a free online support forum for women across Western and Far West New South Wales this Monday morning.

"I recently had an eye-opening chat with a domestic abuse survivor, and it inspired me to create this free Online Support Forum for Women in Western and Far West NSW," Mr Butler said.

The forum, which runs from 9:30am to 11am AEDT on Monday March 9, is specifically designed with the realities of remote and regional life in mind. Mr Butler said that isolation was precisely the reason he felt compelled to act. "Services are spread more thinly in remote areas, but I want women in Barwon to know, you are not alone," he said.

The women-only, trauma-informed forum will bring together specialist service providers from across the health, legal, police, housing and community sectors, alongside a lived-experience survivor advocate. Topics covered will include what domestic and family violence can look like in its many forms, reducing shame and stigma, safety planning and practical next steps, available health, housing, legal, police and support options, mental health and counselling services, and 24-hour crisis contacts.

The forum has been designed with anonymity and accessibility at its core. No registration is required, cameras can remain off, and questions can be submitted privately through a moderated chat that sends them directly to facilitators rather than to the broader group. Women are welcome to simply listen if they choose.

For those who need a safe, private space to participate in person, council host sites have been arranged across the region. Warren Sporting and Cultural Centre's Community Room at Victoria Park on Udora Road has a projector available with Wi-Fi. Narromine Shire Council's Small Meeting Room offers a smartboard broadcast, public computers and free Wi-Fi. In Walgett, the Administration Centre's upstairs meeting room at 77 Fox Street is available, as is the Lightning Ridge Administration Centre meeting room at 35 Pandora Street. Brewarrina Shire Council's Community Hall offers a large projector and screen, public Wi-Fi and shared devices. In Broken Hill, the ground floor meeting room at the Administrative Centre, 240 Blende Street, is also open to participants.

No account or registration is needed to join.

For any woman who needs support before, during or after Monday's forum, help is available around the clock. The NSW Domestic Violence Line can be reached on 1800 656 463, 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732, and Lifeline on 13 11 14. In an emergency, call 000.

Join the forum HERE