As a not-for-profit organisation committed to upholding human rights and protecting civilian life globally, Drummond Street Services strongly condemns the continuing, systematic violence being carried out in Sudan. This includes mass killings and the repeated attacks on civilians and humanitarian workers. The International Criminal Court has warned that atrocities committed in the Sudanese city of El-Fasher could constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity, with reports of mass killings, rapes and other violent crimes, which form a pattern of atrocities committed since 2023.

The conflict has also triggered one of the largest displacement and hunger crises in the world, with more than 30 million people in Sudan in urgent need.

While the Australian government’s $10 million in humanitarian assistance to support civilians in Sudan is welcome, Drummond Street Services ask for the government to do more, including:

• Putting pressures on our arms export supply chains, making sure that our defence exports are not indirectly contributing to further abuse in Sudan
• Continuing to push for a ceasefire and safe passage of civilians, including through increasing Australia’s humanitarian intake
• Continuing to support investigations by international bodies, such as the ICC, to continue to investigate alleged war crimes, including crimes against humanity, and genocide
• Putting pressure on countries such as the United Arab Emirates and Egypt to crack down on the sale of gold and illegal gold exports from Sudan, which continue to fuel and finance the conflict
• Listening to Sudanese Australians and diaspora communities here in Australia to find more ways to support civilians in Sudan.

Drummond Street Services will stand in:

• Solidarity with Sudanese civilians, regardless of ethnicity, religion, or political allegiance
• Advocacy and a commitment to continue to campaign in Australia for stronger government action
• Partnership by working with Sudanese diaspora organisations, local NGOs, faith-based groups, and international institutions to amplify Sudanese voices and support their work.

We urge Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong to continue to advocate for civilians impacted by the conflict in Sudan and to stand in solidarity with the large Sudanese diaspora community here in Australia.

Drummond Street Services is celebrating this truly historic moment for Victoria, as the first modern Treaty agreement is now signed into law. This is a powerful and long-awaited step towards justice, truth-telling and meaningful partnership with First Peoples.

As we have said many times before, Treaty is essential for a fair and inclusive future. It reflects what communities have called for over generations: real recognition, real self-determination, and a commitment to repairing the harm caused by colonisation.

We are proud allies to the Treaty movement in Victoria and stand firmly with Aboriginal communities, Elders, advocates and leaders whose tireless work has made this moment possible. Their strength and leadership continue to guide our sector and our state towards a more just and honest relationship.

At Drummond Street Services, our social justice framework is grounded in addressing historical and ongoing inequalities. Today’s milestone reminds us that change is possible when communities lead and governments listen. Treaty is not only a legal agreement, it is a path forward built on respect, accountability and shared responsibility.

We celebrate alongside the First Peoples of Victoria and reaffirm our commitment to walking with you in the work ahead.

A stronger and fairer Victoria is one where Treaty is honoured, lived and embedded in everything we do.

Notice is hereby given of the holding of the 138th Annual General Meeting of Drummond Street Services Inc. and Stepfamilies Australia Inc. on Tuesday 25th November 2025 at 4:30pm at ETU Ballroom, Trades Hall, Victoria.

Register your interest via email to enquiries@ds.org.au.

Business includes:

• Presentation of audited financial reports
• Election of Board members
• Reporting on the activities of the entities.

Karen Field, Chief Executive Officer
Ph (03) 9663 6733

As a longtime partner of the Equality Project and the Better Together Conferences, including the conference in Adelaide in October, we feel that it is necessary to respond to a problematic Better Together podcast episode recently published on the Equality Project website, and the corresponding presentation planned for the 2025 conference.​

The podcast included views about the trans community that are harmful and ideologically driven, alongside a belief that this warranted a “brave conversation” as part of the current LGBTIQA+ movements or campaigns.

The conversation was not based on clinical evidence or the lived experience of our trans community from across the world, including Australia. These views lean on cherry-picked, problematic research and government-funded consultation reports that do not include the voices of those being spoken about in relation to a range of issues.

The interviewee and interviewer felt that in the name of LGBTIQA+ “movements”, they had a right to a voice despite clearly lacking any nuanced understanding, research or lived experience in these areas. This is not the first time LGBTIQA+ equality movements have erased the experience of our trans siblings in order to ‘pass’ to mainstream, or appease the right.

The presenters have justified their rhetoric as a “brave conversation”; however, there is nothing brave about contributing to harmful and inaccurate information about the trans community, a group which is so often spoken about, undermined and criticised but rarely spoken with, believed, or validated.

We raised our concerns with the Equality Project, and due to their lack of an appropriate response, we gave our staff the option to withdraw from presenting at this year’s conference. Some have chosen to do so. Some, including our QHUB staff, have decided to continue with their planned presentation as an act of resistance against this rhetoric, and to highlight the importance of services for all LGBTIQA+ young people, including trans people (who make up 64% of the individuals QHub supports).

Following the discussions between Drummond Street Services/Queerspace and Better Together, we have observed a clear difference in our values. As an evidence-based health organisation deeply committed to wellbeing and access to healthcare for trans people, we will not be attending or supporting future Better Together conferences.

This position will not change until the Equality Project remove the podcast and enter a restorative, accountable and educative process with the trans community.

Trans people have always existed, and they deserve to be respected and included, especially from within the LGBTIQA+ community.

No queer without the T.

Karen Field

Drummond Street Services, together with all of our services and programs, stands in support of Treaty in Victoria.

We believe Treaty is an essential step toward justice, healing and a better future for all. Treaty is about recognising the sovereignty of First Peoples and ensuring that decisions about Aboriginal communities, cultures and lands are made by Aboriginal people.

For generations, First Peoples have called for Treaty. We have seen the strength and success of Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations and know that self-determination leads to stronger families and healthier communities. Treaty will build on this by creating the structures that allow Aboriginal voices and knowledge to lead the way in areas such as health, education, housing and family support.

As an organisation committed to social justice and equity, we are proud to walk alongside First Peoples on this journey. We acknowledge the courage and leadership of the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria and commit to listening, learning and acting in solidarity as the Treaty process continues.

We are deeply saddened to share the news that, after a long illness, our dear colleague and friend, Helen Rimington, has passed away.

Helen contributed so much to the sector in her 35-year career and was a pioneer of youth peer support programs, including PATS, which became the national peer-based model for young people with a parent with mental illness. Her work to reduce the stigma of mental illness in communities, workplaces and for everyday people, changed the way we talked about, understood and responded to mental health and illness. She simplified strategies for good mental health and managing psychological distress and made them accessible for all.

Helen was part of Drummond Street Services for 20 years, having many roles such as leading our family and parenting services work, our youth services, and at some point even held the role of deputy CEO. Helen played a vital role in shaping Drummond Street and the broader family and parenting sectors. Her legacy remains in the way we work alongside parents, families and communities.

Helen’s Just Families research into the needs of couples and people transitioning to parenthood broadened our understanding of the complex needs that can impact new parents, and was the forerunner of our Ready Steady Family service across north-west Melbourne. Helen understood that we need to meet families where they are at, supporting them in their hopes and aspirations for their children with the resources available to them – and this means services delivered without judgement, by workforces that look and speak like our clients.

Helen built an incredible group of parenting educators and support workers from community, many of whom had attended her parenting programs or received support, and then been mentored to move into the sector. She understood from many years ago the value of elevating lived experience and cultural knowledge to ensure engagement of the right families, but also as the key to responsive services.

On public housing estates and growth corridors she understood the need to focus on building communities and neighbourhoods where families could connect and raise children together.

She went above and beyond to help families, from sourcing and delivering washing machines, cots and fridges, to helping families put on funerals when necessary. Through the COVID-19 pandemic she was a shining light for so many, feeding hundreds of families with culturally appropriate groceries, providing family care packs, and sourcing tablets, computers and internet access to keep isolated people in touch and kids connected to school.

Whenever necessary, she was a fierce advocate for her families, for women living amid family violence, and for those facing or experiencing homelessness.

As well as changing people’s lives in a professional way, she touched us all personally with her humour and humility, leaving us with a lifetime of memories we will always cherish.

Helen’s presence is still felt every day in our work and in the lives of the individuals, families and communities she supported. Her impact has been profound and lasting, and she will be dearly missed by all who had the privilege of knowing her.

We extend our heartfelt condolences to Helen’s family, friends and loved ones.

Drummond Street Services acknowledge the harm and trauma experienced by recent alleged assaults and abuse across Wyndham childcare centres. We also acknowledge the community trauma that these incidents can cause across so much of our community sectors, families, parents, carers, workers and children.

Drummond Street Services offer whole of family support, please contact 96636733 and speak with an Intake worker.

Further supports are available from:

Sexual Assault Crisis Line (SACL) 1800 806 292

1800 RESPECT

WestCASA 9216 0444 or westcasa.org.au

Families directly impacted can access 1800 791 241

A dedicated website is also available:

https://www.vic.gov.au/childcare-centres-investigation.

The release of the Yoorrook Justice Commission’s final report is a powerful and painful reminder of the truth that First Nations communities have carried and lived with for generations. It documents the violent legacy of colonisation, the ongoing impacts of systemic racism, and the strength, survival and resistance of First Peoples across this land. The evidence in the report shows that there was genocide in Victoria and that it has major impacts on First Nations people to this day.

At Drummond Street Services and Queerspace, we believe there can be no justice without truth. Yoorrook has created a historic public record and laid out a clear path forward towards Treaty, accountability and reform that must be led by First Peoples.

We encourage the Victorian Government to accept all of the recommendations.

These findings make it more important than ever for non-Indigenous organisations and communities to stand in solidarity with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in their fight for justice, self-determination and sovereignty. Truth-telling is not just a government responsibility. It is a collective responsibility that demands deep listening, reflection and action.

We will be marching in the NAIDOC March this Friday to honour the courage of those who shared their stories and to walk alongside First Peoples in this fight for change.

You are warmly invited to march with us. Please meet us outside 100 Drummond Street, Carlton, at 11.30 am.

Always was, always will be Aboriginal land.

We at Drummond Street Services are angered by the recent executive order signed by US President Donald Trump. This order, which claims to “protect women”, takes away vital protections for trans, gender diverse and intersex people and puts them in danger.

This isn’t about protecting women – it’s about erasing the existence of trans and gender-diverse people. Real support for women, including trans women, means addressing issues like violence, healthcare access, and workplace equality, not implementing policies that exclude and discriminate.

We are most concerned about the precedent this sets. Policies like this can be used as a template for other countries to follow and put countless lives at risk. As an organisation that supports LGBTIQA+ communities, we can’t stay silent.

We stand in solidarity with the Trans and Gender Diverse folk who are resiliently standing up to the hate. At the same time, we recognise not everybody has the capacity to do this.

We call on the Australian Labor Party (ALP) to take a strong stance against this. We also urge the Australian Immigration Department to offer refuge to trans and gender-diverse people fleeing the US to keep them safe and well.

Drummond Street Services works to create inclusive communities where everyone, regardless of gender identity, can live with respect and dignity. We will continue to stand with our trans and gender diverse communities and amplify their voices and defend their rights.

In solidarity,

Drummond Street Services

Guest editors will continue to play a key role in guiding and curating the content of Archer magazine, the magazine’s publisher Drummond Street Services has confirmed.

Work on the next edition is now underway, and an announcement about the selection process for future guest editors will be made soon.

This model has been highly successful in recent years with notable guest editors, including Tabitha Lean, guest editor of the incarceration issue, and Maddee Clark and Bridget Caldwell, joint guest editors of the First Nations issue.

Drummond Street Services has also confirmed that it has mutually agreed to part ways with former editor-in-chief Rosalind Chapman-Bellamy.

Drummond Street Services thanks Mx Chapman-Bellamy for their service and wishes them well in their future endeavours.

Moving forward, the overriding concern is Archer magazine and the queer community that it serves. We all want to see Archer magazine’s voice remain strong.

Karen Field, CEO of Drummond Street Services, and Amy Middleton, Director of Archer.