Goodman and Our Watch: Preventing violence together

• The Our Watch Institute is now working with some of Australia’s largest companies.
• More than 2,300 individuals trained in prevention.
• An additional $1.5 million pledged for the Institute’s future growth, beyond Goodman’s initial $1.7 million commitment.

The research is clear: violence against women is preventable - but it requires a strategic, long-term approach. For over a decade, Our Watch has been at the forefront of efforts to prevent violence against women and promote gender equality across Australia. Their work focuses on primary prevention - addressing the drivers of violence by challenging harmful attitudes, breaking down rigid gender stereotypes, and promoting equality.

With Goodman’s support, the charity has established the Our Watch Institute - a profit-for-purpose arm that partners with workplaces to prevent violence against women. The Institute works with Australia’s leading team of violence prevention and gender equality experts, equipping workplaces with the training, tools, and expert advice needed to stop violence before it starts.

While many workplaces offer gender equality and harassment training, Our Watch Institute provides something different - a comprehensive and bespoke package designed to help businesses remove gender inequality from their workplaces. This includes helping businesses understand the connection between gender inequality and violence against women and demonstrating the significant role they can play in preventing it.

Goodman Foundation’s involvement as a founding partner of the Institute has gone far beyond financial support. “It’s quite a collaborative relationship,” says Director of the Our Watch Institute, Cara Gleeson. 

Goodman’s expertise in branding, marketing, and strategic guidance has been instrumental in helping the Institute understand its market and position itself for long-term success. It’s enabled the Institute to develop a comprehensive approach that meets workplaces where they are—whether that’s through basic training sessions or tailored programs for leadership teams.

Goodman’s funding (an initial $1.7 million plus an additional $1.5 million) has also been a game-changer, allowing the Our Watch Institute to focus on developing services that workplaces are willing to invest in. “Goodman’s support let us move beyond short term-funded pilots to focus on long-term change,” says Gleeson.

The Institute’s ability to scale its impact is also evident in its focus on how workplaces can significantly influence cultural change. To date, it has reached more than 20 major Australian clients and trained over 2,300 individuals in practical prevention strategies. In Australia, all of Goodman’s people have participated in the Our Watch Institute’s training, and have access to its advice, tools and support.

Together, Our Watch and the Goodman Foundation are working towards a future where violence against women is not only prevented but unthinkable.