Frontline workers across regional, rural and remote Western Australia will have greater access to family and domestic violence training as DVassist prepares to expand its regional workforce development program.
The specialist regional family and domestic violence organisation was selected as a beneficiary of this year’s Governor’s Benefit Ball held last week, which has now raised more than $1 million for four WA organisations over the past two years.
The funding comes as regional organisations continue to tell DVassist that distance, travel costs, staff shortages and the difficulty of backfilling positions can make accessing specialist family and domestic violence training challenging.
DVassist Chief Executive Officer, Ella Ailenei, said strengthening the skills of people already working within regional communities could have an impact far beyond an individual training session.
“Regional communities are home to dedicated and skilled frontline workers who are often supporting people across a broad range of needs but may not have the same access to specialist training and professional development as their metropolitan counterparts,” she said.
“Making this family and domestic violence training more accessible helps build on the expertise already in regional communities, strengthening confidence, practice and the support available to individuals and families.”
DVassist’s experience delivering training across WA has highlighted ongoing demand for locally accessible professional development, particularly as regional services contend with workforce shortages, staff turnover and the need to continually build and refresh workforce capability.
The organisation says regional employers can otherwise face the cost of sending workers to Perth for professional development, including travel and accommodation, while also finding staff to cover their absence.
Funding from the 2026 Governor’s Benefit Ball will support DVassist to continue delivering face-to-face family and domestic violence training and capacity building across regional, rural and remote WA, develop additional evidence-informed training for regional professionals, and digitise content to create free learning resources for those unable to attend workshops in person.
It will also support ongoing community engagement to identify local service gaps and emerging needs, while helping DVassist build on initiatives including online women’s support groups and locally delivered healing and recovery retreats.
Between November 2025 and March 2026, $137,500 received through last year’s Governor’s Benevolent Fund supported the delivery of 15 specialist family and domestic violence workshops, with approximately 250 frontline professionals trained across health, community services, disability, justice and education.
A further 198 young people participated in school-based prevention and early intervention education, with more than 770 people reached overall through education, training and community engagement activities.
Activities reached communities including Broome, Port Hedland, Geraldton, Katanning, Bunbury, Busselton, Bridgetown and Manjimup.
Ms Ailenei said greater access to specialist training could help regional communities build on the skills and expertise already within their local workforces.
“Access to high-quality family and domestic violence training should not be determined by postcode. Investing in regional workforces helps strengthen the support available to individuals and families close to where they live,” she said.
“Regional communities have enormous strengths. Our role is to work alongside those communities, providing the people already supporting local families with greater access to specialist knowledge, practical tools and ongoing professional development.
“We’ve consistently heard that regional workers want training delivered locally and regularly. Further investment means we can reach more communities, develop more accessible resources and keep building capability where it is needed.
“Ultimately, this isn’t just an investment in training. It’s an investment in stronger local responses to family and domestic violence.”
Ms Ailenei said the organisation was grateful for the continued support of His Excellency the Honourable Chris Dawson AC APM, Mrs Dawson, the Governor’s Benefit Ball Committee and supporters of the Ball.
“The previous investment gave us the opportunity to demonstrate what can be achieved when specialist family and domestic violence capability is taken directly into regional WA,” she said.
“We now want to build on that work and work with Government, businesses, philanthropic organisations and other partners who share our belief that regional Western Australians should be able to access specialist support and expertise wherever they live.”
The Governor’s Benefit Ball supports organisations working to improve the lives of Western Australians, with this year’s beneficiaries including DVassist, St John WA, Moort Boodjari Mia and Stronger Families.
Governors Benefit Ball Impact 2025 - 2026
