Over 20 data sources were considered to inform the development of the baseline assessment. The data sources relating to gender equality measure knowledge, behaviour and service access as well as progress on economic and social indicators including census and household surveys. The data will set in place a comprehensive set of measures across the outcomes and indicators aligned to the implementation of Safe and Strong. Recognising that the impact of gender inequality is compounded by how gendered barriers interact with other forms of disadvantage and discrimination, disaggregated data was used wherever possible – breaking down information by Aboriginality, age, disability, socio-economic status (SES) and cultural and linguistic diversity (CALD). Where possible, these characteristics have been emphasised in the data, along with additional variables, such as geographic breakdowns
Data for Victoria, other states and territories, and Australia were collected from multiple sources, including:
- AusPlay Survey
- Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)
- Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey
- National Community Attitudes towards Violence Against Women Survey (NCAS)
- VicHealth
- Victorian Crime Statistics Agency (CrimeStats)
- Victorian Department of Education and Training (DET)
- Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission (VEOHRC)
- Victorian Population Health Survey (VPHS)
- Victorian Public Sector Commission (VPSC)
- Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA)
Categories of data included
There are a range of data types which have been included in the Baseline Report. The measurement identification process involved consideration of each outcome and indicator, and the activities and strategies that drive them. The data sources identified in the baseline assessment were then reviewed in line with a series of assessment criteria. Specifically, assessment of each measure involved consideration of:
- the objective of the relevant indicator and specific direction of the desired change
- how the measure (or proxy) aligns with the objective of the indicator
- the current baseline for the measure
- the capacity of the Victorian Government to influence the measure, including mapping the activities in Safe and Strong and broader Victorian Government plans that can influence the measure
- the direction of change that is expected to result from Victorian Government activities, and the likely timeframe for change
Recognising data limitations and the scope of Safe and Strong, the Baseline Report includes two types of proposed measures:
- Proposed – the most appropriate measure for the indicator based on the proposed social policy outcomes of the Victorian Government. In some cases, there is no data available for this measure.
- Proxy – where there is limited population data available for the measure, proxies are identified as an alternate measure of progress. Examples are one-off surveys or Australian-wide data where Victorian-level data is not available. Proxy measures may also include data collected by services. These are useful to track as indicators of change in community experience but are proxies because they are not population level outcomes of change.
Some measures have limited or no data, and a data collection plan will be developed and aligned to other current WoVG initiatives such as the Family Violence Data Collection Framework and the Monitoring and Evaluation Framework for Free From Violence. The Baseline Report measures will be further refined.
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