The local display was held by Mudgee People Against Violence Committee (PAV), formed of people from a cross-section of the community including police officers and others from services on the frontline of the issue such as Barnardos.

Members, set up in Market Street, sold the emblems of the day and passed on all of the information they could to passers-by.

With towns across his electorate ranking as some of the worst in NSW for reported cases of domestic violence, Federal Member for Parkes Mark Coulton took the opportunity to reinforce the message that domestic violence will not be tolerated.

“Any form of domestic violence, whether physical or emotional, is simply unacceptable,” he said.

“Unfortunately, there is still a real stigma attached to domestic violence which prevents people not just reporting incidences of violence, but also talking about the issue generally.

“I implore everyone to take a stand against domestic violence in some way.

“As wonderful as it is that so many of us will purchase and wear white ribbons this week, we need to do more.

“We need to talk about this issue and ensure that our children, at a very young age, learn to say no to domestic violence and treat others with respect.

“We all deserve to feel safe in our own households; our homes should be the safest place we can go to.”

Committee members will also be on hand to provide information on the local services that provide support for anyone wanting to talk to someone.

Lifeline Australia CEO Pete Shmigel said the national campaign is also about spreading a message to those most vulnerable that there are many in the community who can help through these kind of services.

“We want women in the community experiencing domestic or family violence to know that it is never OK – you don’t have to hide or feel alone,” he said.

“There are many services, professionals and community members that will listen and provide both emotional and practical support.

“We understand that it can be difficult for women to reach out and, since 2011, have run the Domestic Violence Response Training (DV-alert) program to train frontline community workers to recognise and respond to domestic violence situations.

“Through DV-alert, Lifeline seeks to empower community frontline workers by providing them with the skills and tools to support women experiencing family violence.”

DV-alert, which was recently expanded to include police officers, social workers and emergency department staff, will train more than 3000 frontline workers in FY16. To date, DV-alert has trained close to 6000 frontline community workers across the country.

The program is a key initiative under the Australian Government’s National Plan to Reduce Violence Against Women and their Children 2010-2022.

For more information, visit www.dvalert.org.au.