❓ The Minister outlines the Cook Labor government's initiatives to support victim-survivors, hold perpetrators accountable, and prevent family and domestic violence, highlighting increased refuge capacity, new safe-at-home locations, FDV hubs, and prevention programs. WA's system reform plan is commended by the South Australian Royal Commission.
AnsweredQoN 367Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
Family and domestic violence
367. Mr Rhys Williams to
the Minister for Prevention of Family and
Domestic Violence:
I refer to the Cook
Labor government's commitment to ending the scourge of family and domestic
violence.
(1) Can the minister advise the house how this
government is supporting victim-survivors and holding perpetrators to account?
(2) Can the minister advise the house what this
government is doing to stop the violence before it starts?
367. Mr Rhys Williams to
the Minister for Prevention of Family and
Domestic Violence:
I refer to the Cook
Labor government's commitment to ending the scourge of family and domestic
violence.
(1) Can the minister advise the house how this
government is supporting victim-survivors and holding perpetrators to account?
(2) Can the minister advise the house what this
government is doing to stop the violence before it starts?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) I thank the member, despite his
slow rise to his feet. I know that we have had a number of conversations about
this, and I appreciate the member's advocacy in this area.
For too long, family and
domestic violence has been a taboo subject. This government has continually
championed that conversation through having a Minister for Prevention of Family
and Domestic Violence. It is really only recently that this topic has been
given the attention that it deserves. Talking about family and domestic
violence is actually crucial not only for raising awareness and encouraging
victims to come forward to seek help, but also, really importantly, to holding
perpetrators to account. I know that members will have heard me say multiple
times that we have spent over half a billion dollars in
addressing the scourge of family and domestic violence in our community. This
includes, but is absolutely not limited to, increasing refuge capacity by
41%, with an additional 88 units in the pipeline; 13 new safe-at-home locations
and another seven committed; and five new FDV one-stop hubs. In fact, I was out
recently in Broome with the member for Kimberley to open up the Broome FDV one-stop
hub. It also includes 14 new initiatives to boost access to counselling
services and a fivefold increase in primary prevention and early intervention
initiatives. This is actually crucial to the prevention part of the prevention
of family and domestic violence. There are 18 new intervention initiatives for
perpetrators and a significant expansion to the statewide family and domestic
violence response teams.
If members read The Sunday Times , they might also have noticed
that we have announced the theme for our 16 Days in WA campaign for this year,
with the focus being on men and boys. I am very happy to be championing this
change in direction because if we want to stop family and domestic violence as
a community, we need to engage all members of our community, including men and
boys.
Although we are very proud of
our efforts, particularly our Strengthening
Responses to Family and Domestic Violence: System Reform Plan , we are
not the only ones noticing the impact that we are having. I can report that our
system reform plan is being recognised and commended in other parts of the
country. This week, the South Australian Royal Commission into Domestic, Family
and Sexual Violence released its findings, and, among its recommendations, the
report states that South Australia has much to learn from Western Australia's
approach. It recommended that South Australia draw on a number of Western
Australia's practices, including creating a five-year strategy that includes
our four pillars, much like our system reform plan; establishing a lived
experience advisory network, much like our lived experience advisory group;
drawing on WA's one-stop hub model, particularly the community-based and soft
entry point designs; aligning its risk assessment and management framework to
look like Western Australia's; and drawing from WA's family and domestic
violence response teams model. Members do not have to take my word for it. I
can give them some quotes from Commissioner Natasha Stott Despoja, who ran this
royal commission for South Australia. This is a direct quote from her press
conference yesterday. She said:
It is the
Commission's view that Western Australia's approach to integrated response and
service delivery represents the best opportunity for South Australia.
…
By co-locating FDVRTs—
That is family and domestic
violence response teams—
in each region, Western
Australia has leveraged the well-accepted lesson that physical co-location
leads to better information sharing, coordination and safety outcomes.
…
Western Australia's expanded
integrated response model represents a mature, evaluated and well-developed
model that South Australia should draw heavily from.
I take this opportunity to thank
all those who work on our front line in family and domestic violence. We know
that we have actually achieved quite a bit in this space but that there is so
much more work to do. We acknowledge that we have a little way to go on this
one. One woman or child being injured or killed is too many, but the outcomes
of the South Australian royal commission really show us that we are on the
correct path with our system reform plan and that the record investment that
sits behind it is starting to have traction.
I assure all Western Australians
that we are committed to seeing these major reforms through to protect women
and children, stop violence before it starts and hold perpetrators to account.
My final plea would be that we want victim-survivors to come forward. We want
them to know that help is out there, and we want them to know that they will be
supported in Western Australia.
The Speaker: The member for Albany with the last
question.
slow rise to his feet. I know that we have had a number of conversations about
this, and I appreciate the member's advocacy in this area.
For too long, family and
domestic violence has been a taboo subject. This government has continually
championed that conversation through having a Minister for Prevention of Family
and Domestic Violence. It is really only recently that this topic has been
given the attention that it deserves. Talking about family and domestic
violence is actually crucial not only for raising awareness and encouraging
victims to come forward to seek help, but also, really importantly, to holding
perpetrators to account. I know that members will have heard me say multiple
times that we have spent over half a billion dollars in
addressing the scourge of family and domestic violence in our community. This
includes, but is absolutely not limited to, increasing refuge capacity by
41%, with an additional 88 units in the pipeline; 13 new safe-at-home locations
and another seven committed; and five new FDV one-stop hubs. In fact, I was out
recently in Broome with the member for Kimberley to open up the Broome FDV one-stop
hub. It also includes 14 new initiatives to boost access to counselling
services and a fivefold increase in primary prevention and early intervention
initiatives. This is actually crucial to the prevention part of the prevention
of family and domestic violence. There are 18 new intervention initiatives for
perpetrators and a significant expansion to the statewide family and domestic
violence response teams.
If members read The Sunday Times , they might also have noticed
that we have announced the theme for our 16 Days in WA campaign for this year,
with the focus being on men and boys. I am very happy to be championing this
change in direction because if we want to stop family and domestic violence as
a community, we need to engage all members of our community, including men and
boys.
Although we are very proud of
our efforts, particularly our Strengthening
Responses to Family and Domestic Violence: System Reform Plan , we are
not the only ones noticing the impact that we are having. I can report that our
system reform plan is being recognised and commended in other parts of the
country. This week, the South Australian Royal Commission into Domestic, Family
and Sexual Violence released its findings, and, among its recommendations, the
report states that South Australia has much to learn from Western Australia's
approach. It recommended that South Australia draw on a number of Western
Australia's practices, including creating a five-year strategy that includes
our four pillars, much like our system reform plan; establishing a lived
experience advisory network, much like our lived experience advisory group;
drawing on WA's one-stop hub model, particularly the community-based and soft
entry point designs; aligning its risk assessment and management framework to
look like Western Australia's; and drawing from WA's family and domestic
violence response teams model. Members do not have to take my word for it. I
can give them some quotes from Commissioner Natasha Stott Despoja, who ran this
royal commission for South Australia. This is a direct quote from her press
conference yesterday. She said:
It is the
Commission's view that Western Australia's approach to integrated response and
service delivery represents the best opportunity for South Australia.
…
By co-locating FDVRTs—
That is family and domestic
violence response teams—
in each region, Western
Australia has leveraged the well-accepted lesson that physical co-location
leads to better information sharing, coordination and safety outcomes.
…
Western Australia's expanded
integrated response model represents a mature, evaluated and well-developed
model that South Australia should draw heavily from.
I take this opportunity to thank
all those who work on our front line in family and domestic violence. We know
that we have actually achieved quite a bit in this space but that there is so
much more work to do. We acknowledge that we have a little way to go on this
one. One woman or child being injured or killed is too many, but the outcomes
of the South Australian royal commission really show us that we are on the
correct path with our system reform plan and that the record investment that
sits behind it is starting to have traction.
I assure all Western Australians
that we are committed to seeing these major reforms through to protect women
and children, stop violence before it starts and hold perpetrators to account.
My final plea would be that we want victim-survivors to come forward. We want
them to know that help is out there, and we want them to know that they will be
supported in Western Australia.
The Speaker: The member for Albany with the last
question.
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