2-Minute Read
2 December 2025
The Wyndham Multidisciplinary Centre (MDC) welcomed several distinguished visitors this week, highlighting the vital partnerships that underpin Victoria’s integrated response to family violence and sexual assault, and to recognise the state’s collaborative response.
The visit was attended by the Ged Kearney MP, Federal Assistant Minister for the Prevention of Family Violence and Member for Cooper, alongside Joanne Ryan MP, Federal Member for Lalor and Chief Government Whip. They were joined by Dr Kean Kuan, Chief Medical Officer at the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine (VIFM), and Dr Mau Wee, VIFM’s Head of Service, who together lead the organisation’s clinical and forensic response within the MDC network. (Pictured left to right, Dr Kean Kuan, VIFM, the Hon Ged Kearney MP, the Hon Joanne Ryan MP and Dr Mau Wee, VIFM.)
VIFM’s Clinical Forensic Medicine division plays a vital role at the MDC in providing timely, compassionate, and trauma-informed care to victim-survivors of sexual assault in partnership with Victoria Police. The primary focus of MDCs is responding to victim-survivors of sexual assault, with some MDCs such as Wyndham also responding to matters relating to physical abuse and serious family violence in circumstances where a joint investigation is required by child protection and Victoria Police. Wyndham was one of the early MDCs established to meet the needs of a rapidly growing community, and it continues to evolve as demand for services increases.
Representing Victoria Police in the touring group were Rena De Francesco, Director of the Family Violence Command, Senior Sergeant Mark Ferrugia from the Westgate Family Violence Unit, and members of the Sexual Offences and Child Abuse Investigation Teams (SOCIT). This helped emphasise the deep police–forensic collaboration that underpins the success of the Centre.
The visitors also met with key professionals from across the MDC partnership, including WestCASA (Western Region Centre Against Sexual Assault), Gen West, the Royal Children’s Hospital Gatehouse Centre, SASH (Support After Sexual Harm), DHHS Child Protection, and IPC Health.
The role of Victoria’s MDCs
Victoria’s Multidisciplinary Centres bring together police, forensic specialists, counsellors, child protection workers, and sexual harm and family violence support services in one purpose-designed location. This co-location model – now widely recognised as national best practice – ensures that victim-survivors can receive coordinated, trauma-informed care without needing to retell their story multiple times or navigate complex service pathways.
Commitment to a victim-survivor centred response
During the visit, guests heard about the ongoing efforts to strengthen the integration of forensic medicine within the sexual assault system, and VIFM’s commitment to victim-centred response.
Dr Kean Kuan emphasised the importance of collaboration in delivering high-quality, trauma-informed forensic services, and the role of the VIFM as a training and education institute:
“It has been a wonderful opportunity to gain recognition at a Federal level for the work that the VIFM and all the agencies here do for victim-survivors. It’s so important to raise awareness of the support available to victims of sexual assault so that we challenge and break the silence and stigma that often surrounds abuse, and encourage victims to seek help. To that end, the Assistant Minister was delighted to learn of our 2-hour response times in Metro Melbourne, and took a keen interest in how we maintained chain of custody for the forensic evidence that we collect.”
Dr Kean Kuan | Chief Medical Officer | VIFM
Dr Mau Wee echoed this sentiment, highlighting the role of the VIFM as a training and education institute for Forensic Medicine, and the importance of offering our services across the whole state:
“Both Ged and Joanne were genuinely amazed to learn that VIFM trains all of its Forensic Medical Officers in-house, and it was encouraging to see their interest in how we deliver our service statewide across regional Victoria. The visit reaffirmed the value of the Clinical Forensic Medicine model, and the importance of sustained investment in integrated services at MDC’s.”
Dr Mau Wee | Head of Service | Clinical Forensic Medicine | VIFM
Recognising a shared mission
The Federal Assistant Minister and Ms Ryan expressed appreciation for the dedication and professionalism of all teams represented at the centre, noting the importance of federal, state, and local collaboration in preventing family violence and supporting victim-survivors.
VIFM thanks all partners at the Wyndham MDC for their continued commitment to delivering safe, accessible, and integrated support for the community.