A new support group for survivors of sexual assault has been formed in Newcastle through Anna Coutts-Trotter's not-for-profit organisation, The Survivor Hub.
Ms Coutts-Trotter, daughter of federal environment minister Tanya Plibersek, co-founded the hub following her experiences of domestic and sexual violence.
In March, Ms Plibersek said she was proud of her daughter for sharing her story and revealed she didn't run for the party leadership in 2019, partly due to legal action over the abuse case.
"We decided to expand to Newcastle in response to a growing demand from survivors," Ms Coutts-Trotter said.
"We fill a gap because we run peer support groups."
The Newcastle "meet-ups" are held on the first Monday night of each month.
"At meet-ups, survivors can connect with each other to ask questions, express concerns, vent, learn and heal," Ms Coutts-Trotter said.
"We welcome survivors at any stage of the healing process. Whether they are yet to report to police, have reported or decided they will not report."
Newcastle hub facilitator Shona Keating travelled to Sydney to attend hub meetings while she was going through the court process.
"I found them to be such a great support network for me, but they didn't have any meet-ups close by," said Ms Keating, a survivor of child sexual abuse and family violence.
"It was an incredible space to be in with a room full of people who just get it, without you having to explain anything."
Ms Keating approached Ms Coutts-Trotter about bringing a hub to Newcastle.
Common topics at meet-ups include relationships and intimacy after sexual assault, reactions of friends or family to disclosures, feelings about perpetrators and therapy options.
The meet-ups are open to survivors aged 16 or older. Survivors of any gender, sexuality, religion, culture, ethnicity and age are welcome. Participants can bring a support person.
Ms Coutts-Trotter said they were "safe spaces that exist to assure survivors that they aren't alone".
"They offer a sense of community through the highs and lows of healing journeys. They show survivors that they can and will get through it because their peers have too."
Ms Coutts-Trotter learnt about the importance of support from a fellow survivor while going through her "excruciating" court case.
"I felt confused, isolated, a witness in the proceedings in my life," she said.
While sitting outside court, she met another survivor.
"I was a complete stranger to her, but she sat with me for hours after approaching me in the hallway.
"She told me about what I could expect from court, what the defence would be like, how to hold my own. She told me that I would survive because she had and I believed her."
This made her realise that "there is no feeling like being supported by another survivor".
