All I want for Christmas is for women and children to be safe and free.

As 2025 comes to a close and the festive season approaches, my Christmas wish is that women and children can live with safety and freedom.

This year will be remembered not only for global political upheaval, but also for local defining moments. Victoria will celebrate the historic delivery of Treaty for First Peoples, while the nation will carry the grief of the Bondi shootings. Achieving gender justice will require a commitment from us to confront all forms of oppression and harm.

As I reflect on my first few months as Interim CEO of Kara, I am deeply grateful for the warm welcome and the shared passion for our mission. One of the most moving experiences for me was walking alongside friends and colleagues in the Walk Against Family Violence – a powerful reminder that change begins when communities stand together.

At Kara, our team of just 20 staff stood alongside more than 600 victim-survivors of family violence in the past financial year. The demand for our support is growing, and the complexity of each case is deepening, but our commitment stays strong. I could not be prouder of the work we deliver, nor more determined to ensure every woman and child has the chance to live free from violence.

Christmas often brings added financial pressure, family obligations, and increased alcohol use – all factors that heighten the risk of family violence. But let me be clear: it is not Christmas or the festive season that causes violence against women and children. Violence is a choice, and responsibility and accountability lie with those who choose to use it.

This season should be one of joy, but it must also be one of vigilance and care. Behind the celebrations, many women and children face greater danger in their own homes. As a community, we must look out for one another, speak up, and put safety first.

Recently, I wrote about my 12-year-old daughter and the hopes I hold for her future. Those hopes are what drive me – and all of us at Kara – to keep working for a world where every child grows up free from fear and full of possibility.  

At Kara, we witness the courage of women and children every single day who deserve lives free from violence, and we see the power of community when it chooses to stand with them. Our service exists because safety cannot be left to chance. And we are grateful for the continued support of the community around us.

The promise of Christmas will be realised only when women and children’s right to live free from violence is upheld in every home.

All I want for Christmas is for women and children to be safe and free.

With warmest regards,

Geraldine Bilston

Interim CEO

‍