“Hurdles are for jumping” | Dr. Astrid Perry-Indermaur OAM
Lifetime Community Service Medal, sponsored by SBS
“Hurdles are for jumping,” said Dr. Astrid Perry.
It’s a motto that has guided her 40-year career as a domestic and family violence activist and advocate for migrant and refugee communities.
What began as conversations around the family dinner table in her small Swiss village, blossomed into a lifelong commitment to social justice.
Astrid views her career as a series of fortunate coincidences. But there’s a clear thread running through it all.
From her early days as a social worker in Switzerland, she went on to manage multicultural health services in Sydney.
For the past decade, she has led Settlement Services International’s (SSI) Women, Equity, and Domestic and Family Violence team.
Through it all, her unwavering focus has been improving the lives of women and children from migrant and refugee backgrounds.
When Astrid arrived in Australia in 1983, she found her qualifications weren’t recognised. So, she embarked on a social sciences degree and then a PhD in Sociology.
It was this education that profoundly shaped her approach to addressing domestic and family violence.
“Helping individual women and children overcome hurdles to get support is crucial,” Astrid said.
“But as a sociologist, I understand these hurdles are deeply ingrained in the system. They block access to help for countless other women and children.
“To make a lasting difference, we have to change the system itself.”
The path toward systemic change is neither short nor straight. But Astrid remains motivated by small successes.
“I work for the small changes, because, eventually, they add up to big changes.”
And there have been notable advancements, fuelled in part by a national conversation on domestic and family violence in recent years.
Collaborating with a coalition of organisations, Astrid played a pivotal role in ensuring the needs of women and children from migrant and refugee backgrounds were included in the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children.
She also helped secure funding for settlement organisations to deliver tailored prevention programs and support services.
One landmark achievement was the opening of the NSW Multicultural Centre for Women’s and Family Safety in 2024. This groundbreaking service was made possible by Astrid and her team’s tireless work.
Additionally, initiatives such as the RISE Project and the Supporting U Program were born out of Astrid’s dedication to empowering women from migrant and refugee communities.
In 2021, Astrid was recognised for her work with women and migrant communities with a Medal of the Order of Australia. Yet, she is far from satisfied.
Astrid’s vision for the next decade?
“I want to see a skilled, bilingual domestic and family violence workforce across all government and non-government services,” Astrid said.
“Such a transformation requires true commitment. But the impact on victims and survivors would be extraordinary.”
For her commitment to serving and empowering the NSW community, Dr. Astrid Perry-Indermaur OAM was awarded the 2025 Lifetime Community Service Medal.
