CQUniversity Red Bench shines a light on domestic and family violence

A new Red Bench at CQUniversity’s Mackay City Campus will provide a permanent and visible reminder of the need for communities to take a stand against domestic and family violence.

Representatives from CQUniversity, the Queensland Centre for Domestic and Family Violence Research (QCDFVR) and the Red Rose Foundation came together on Tuesday, 29 September to officially unveil the new bench.

CQUniversity Associate Vice-President (North Queensland) Professor Rob Brown cut the ribbon to officially unveil the bench, located in the rotunda seating area between Buildings 3 and 4.

The installation is part of the Red Rose Foundation’s Red Bench Project, which works with communities across Australia to install red benches to provide an enduring and visible prompt for awareness, conversation and collective action to prevent domestic violence. 

Professor Brown said the bench was an important and enduring symbol for the University and wider Mackay community.

“CQUniversity is proud to provide a home for this Red Bench and to stand alongside our community in raising awareness of domestic and family violence,” Prof Brown said.

“Its presence on our Mackay City Campus is a visible reminder that domestic and family violence can affect people in every community and that all of us have a role to play in creating safer communities.

“I hope everyone who passes this bench takes a moment to reflect on what it represents and on the importance of awareness, education and collective action.”

CQUniversity’s bench is the eighth Red Bench to be installed in Mackay, with previous benches installed by Mackay Regional Council, Mackay Women’s Centre, The Mater Hospital, Mackay Base Hospital and Community Accommodation Support Agency (CASA).

The unveiling was led by CQU’s Queensland Centre for Domestic and Family Violence Research and builds on an established collaboration between QCDFVR and the Red Rose Foundation.

The organisations regularly collaborate on initiatives to increase awareness and strengthen professional knowledge and responses to domestic and family violence. 

Most recently, QCDFVR and the Red Rose Foundation joined forces to bring internationally recognised experts Dr Bill Smock and Gael Strack to Mackay for a Non-Fatal Strangulation Expert Symposium on Friday 26 June 2026.

The half-day professional development event focused on understanding and responding to non-fatal strangulation, providing professionals working across domestic and family violence, health, justice, policing and community services with practical insights, current evidence and opportunities for discussion with leading international experts.

QCDFVR Director Dr Heather Lovatt said the Red Bench was another meaningful extension of the organisations’ shared commitment to increasing awareness and strengthening responses to domestic and family violence.

“QCDFVR has a strong working relationship with the Red Rose Foundation, and we share a commitment to increasing awareness and strengthening responses to domestic and family violence,” Dr Lovatt said.

“Earlier this year we were pleased to work together to bring leading international expertise on non-fatal strangulation to professionals here in Mackay, and the Red Bench is another way we can continue that important collaboration.

“While the bench is a simple symbol, it carries a powerful message. It creates a permanent place for reflection and conversation and reminds us that everyone has a role to play in preventing domestic and family violence.”

The Red Rose Foundation has also used professional symposiums to bring researchers, practitioners and other professionals together to share research, frontline knowledge and practice on issues including strangulation and partner-inflicted brain injury. 

Red Rose Foundation CEO Lucy Lord said the new bench would help keep domestic and family violence visible within the University and wider Mackay community.

“We really value our relationship with QCDFVR and the opportunity to continue working together to raise awareness and help create meaningful change,” Ms Lord said.

“A Red Bench is deliberately visible. It encourages people to stop, reflect and talk about domestic violence rather than allowing it to remain hidden.

“We’re delighted to see this bench become a permanent part of CQUniversity’s Mackay City Campus and carry that message into the University and wider Mackay community.”

The Red Bench Project aims to keep domestic violence visible in communities, with each bench providing a lasting reminder of the need for awareness and action. The Red Rose Foundation describes the project through its call to ‘change the ending’. 

The new Mackay City Campus bench will provide an ongoing place for students, staff and visitors to pause and reflect, while reaffirming a shared commitment to awareness, prevention and positive change.

More information is available via the Red Bench Project.