THE story of Kim O’Reilly should shock and anger us all – and it must be the catalyst for us to demand action to change the attitudes of those who enable violence against women.
Ms O’Reilly has bravely been at the forefront of calling for sporting clubs to adopt a zero-tolerance policy to violence, which includes clubs suspending anyone who is facing charges until their case is finalised.
Ms O’Reilly was knocked unconscious and hospitalised with facial fractures, severe swelling and bruising at the hands of her then-partner Jake Frecker in 2018.
Two years later, she continues to suffer and needs cortisone injections in her hip every six weeks, has significant nerve damage on the left side of her face, neurological damage affects her memory and she has post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Her left eye is held in place by titanium plates.
Ms O’Reilly’s experience was made so much worse by witnessing the way Mr Frecker was treated in the aftermath of the assault, by an institution that should have known better. The Dimboola Football Club mollycoddled Mr Frecker, allowing him to play senior games on bail, and providing him with character references that bolstered his case and diminished Kim’s.
Sporting clubs – and certainly country football clubs – can play a key role in supporting and encouraging social issues and causes. They can have a profoundly positive influence on their players, fans and members.
But it must be noted that some clubs can and do allow a platform for violent men to be worshipped. We must face this fact and draw a line in the sand. We’ve had enough. It’s time these clubs were brought into the 21st century, whether they like it or not.
This week in Victorian Parliament, I called on Minister for Community Sport Ros Spence to come to Mildura to meet with Ms O’Reilly to discuss her ideas on how football clubs in particular can change attitudes and culture relating to violence.
I also called on the Government to commit to a mandatory training program aimed at changing the culture of enabling that some – not all – footy clubs continue to promote.
Clubs, leagues and associations must be the driving force for real, long-term cultural change when it comes to attitudes towards all forms of violence, but particularly violence against women.
Everyone who has been the victim of such enabling deserves better. Kim O’Reilly deserves absolutely nothing less than an end to the toxic culture that almost killed her. I, and Kim, won’t stop until something is done.
