Anthony is a project lead at a TAFE, supporting initiatives that promote gender equity, diversity and inclusion, and prevent violence. He is involved in the Respect and Equality in TAFE (RET) Network, which connects all TAFEs to implement Our Watch’s Respect and Equality in TAFE (RET): Victorian Guide. Until recently, Melbourne Polytechnic led the RET Network, offering expertise and support to focal points across the state.  

This work involved ‘walking alongside’ TAFEs to provide training, resources and connections to other TAFEs, key partners and stakeholders, while creating opportunities to share learnings. Many roles in this space also oversee the development and implementation of Gender Equality Action Plans and Gender Impact Assessments as part of commitments under the Gender Equality Act, as well as diversity and inclusion programs.  

Anthony’s career began in engineering, occupational health and safety (OHS) and human resources (HR), spanning commercial companies, nonprofit organisations and local councils. His interest in prevention work was sparked by lived experience of interpersonal abuse, which motivated him to drive gender equity initiatives in the workplace. While initially finding it difficult to secure a role in primary prevention, he eventually succeeded in a position which includes engaging men.  

Anthony has noticed that most of his colleagues in TAFE prevention programs come from HR, OHS, marketing or diversity and inclusion backgrounds. These fields provide transferable skills, such as audience engagement and cultural change. He has also noted a significant crossover between skills used in primary prevention and diversity and inclusion.  

Anthony has observed that older workers, including women with lived experience, often feel excluded from primary prevention work due to the tertiary qualifications typically required and a lack of clear pathways into the workforce. Networking and volunteering are often insufficient to gain entry, and taking time off work to study creates additional barriers.  

In his current role, Anthony helps support integration of primary prevention messages for events and campaigns across the whole organisation. Until recently, Anthony also worked with student services to deliver a five-week prevention of gender-based violence course, which achieved high levels of student engagement and retention.  

Anthony’s role demands a broad skill set, including stakeholder engagement, change management, project management and strategy and policy development. He combines these with direct engagement activities such as running events, managing stalls at student days and having direct conversations with students and staff. Messaging, communications and campaigns are central to his work, requiring a nuanced understanding of diverse audiences and methods for engaging them. His responsibilities also include managing social media, developing and delivering training, program development and conducting evaluations.  

Anthony emphasises that men working in primary prevention must demonstrate respect and accountability to women in their work. He highlights the need for men to avoid “colonising the space” if they wish to earn women’s trust. For Anthony, this includes reflecting on his role as a man in the field and ensuring his contributions align with feminist principles and support women’s leadership.  

Anthony’s approach to intersectionality involves centring lived experiences and diverse voices, recognising the limits of his knowledge and being self-reflective. He also believes it’s important to understand how privilege influences thinking, create space for feedback and be accountable to marginalised communities. Building coalitions and partnerships across diverse groups, while respecting differences and finding common ground, are also important.   

Anthony stresses the importance of recognising skills and commitment, avoiding barriers that exclude keen and capable contributors. Anthony sees communities of practice as an effective way to build workforce capability and identifies conferences like PreventX as valuable for professional development.  

Anthony’s approach to responding to disclosures in the context of doing prevention work is heavily informed by trauma-informed practice. This includes creating group agreements, ensuring predictability and knowing when to allow or shut down disclosures. It also means having strong referral systems in place and being mindful of power dynamics, particularly when disclosures come from men to other men. Anthony is also careful to critically reflect on why the disclosure is being made to guard against the risk of collusion.