A snapshot of how local context affects assault service provision in regional rural and remote australia acssa wrap no 13 melbourne australian institute of family studies wendt s 2009a constructions of local culture and impacts on domestic violence in an australian rural community journal of rural studies 252 175 184 wendt s . Challenge 1 domestic violence doesnt occur in rural communities women often tell me that there is a common misperception that domestic violence just isnt a problem in rural communities its something that happens only in big city centres or so the thinking goes but as you all know this couldnt be further from the truth. The australian longitudinal study on womens health 2014 found that more women aged 18 23 years living in rural regional and remote areas 15 16 per cent had experienced partner violence than women living in capital cities 12 per cent. Research findings on regional rural and remote womens experiences of domestic and family violence and sexual assault and the main approaches of service delivery for domestic and family violence and sexual assault drawing on literature that describes service provision in regional rural and remote australia