❓ Mr. Folkard asks about the government's $12 million commitment to family and domestic violence one-stop hubs. The Minister details the hubs' purpose, co-location of services, and criticises the federal government's funding approach.
AnsweredQoN 344Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
FAMILY AND DOMESTIC
VIOLENCE — ONE-STOP HUBS
344. Mr M.J. FOLKARD to the Minister for Prevention of
Family and Domestic Violence:
Before I ask my question, I would like
to acknowledge, on behalf of the member for Kalamunda, the presence of year 9
students from Carmel Adventist College and their accompanying teachers who are
visiting Parliament today.
I refer to the McGowan Labor government's
commitment to supporting those who experience family and domestic violence. Can
the minister update the house on how this government's funding
commitment of almost $12 million for the delivery of new family and domestic
violence one-stop hubs will help protect victims and reduce the unacceptably
high rates of domestic violence?
VIOLENCE — ONE-STOP HUBS
344. Mr M.J. FOLKARD to the Minister for Prevention of
Family and Domestic Violence:
Before I ask my question, I would like
to acknowledge, on behalf of the member for Kalamunda, the presence of year 9
students from Carmel Adventist College and their accompanying teachers who are
visiting Parliament today.
I refer to the McGowan Labor government's
commitment to supporting those who experience family and domestic violence. Can
the minister update the house on how this government's funding
commitment of almost $12 million for the delivery of new family and domestic
violence one-stop hubs will help protect victims and reduce the unacceptably
high rates of domestic violence?
AnswerView source ↗
I am very pleased to answer this
question. Members in this house may be aware that just before our question time
there was a debate in the other house on domestic violence and this government's
response to it. In my role as Minister for Prevention of Family and Domestic
Violence, and when I visit services and speak to the public, I am continually
amazed to hear, as I did in that debate, how people disclose their own
experiences of domestic violence. It is an issue that touches too many Western Australians,
including many in this Parliament.
I am very proud to meet another
election commitment with the government's pre-budget announcement of
funding of $11.7 million for the establishment of two domestic violence hubs—one
in Mirrabooka and one in Kalgoorlie. The idea behind domestic violence hubs is
that they provide an alternative entry point for people experiencing domestic
violence to come forward and get advice and assistance. At the moment, victims
may obtain a restraining order, get legal advice, go to the police or go to a women's
refuge or health service. The idea of hubs is for there to be a co-location of
services such as legal and medical advice, financial advice, housing and the like.
Victims can access a range of different advice from specialist services, and
those services will be co-located so that victims do not have to re-tell their
stories a number of times. There is a sharing of information, which is very
important. Many members in this chamber will be familiar with the George Jones
Child Advocacy Centre, for instance, which provides co-located specialist
services very well. Specialists working in collaboration is the best model we
have for dealing with vulnerable people—in this case, victims of
domestic violence.
In
all of our responses to some of these very complex issues of domestic violence,
we are trying to look at the best evidence for approaching them, and that is
what we have done with our model to put together the new refuges we have
announced, and with the services provided by the domestic violence hubs. That
is in sharp contrast with the response by the federal government, which
recently announced just over $2 million for a new service in Western Australia. A number of representatives of the
domestic violence sector were critical of that allocation because there was no
evidence that that service had any track record of providing services or any
processes around that provision. There was some concern about making those
sorts of announcements. We really need to make sure that there is good
evidence, good processes and good evaluation of the work that is being done
when we make funding allocations.
Similarly, members will be aware
that the federal government stopped funding for the keeping women safe in their
home program, through which victims could stay in their house and have the
perpetrators moved out. The state government had to provide $500 000 to prop up
those services in Western Australia because the federal government pulled its
funding. In fact, the federal government has since reinstated that funding to
recommence after the federal election. The federal government has said that if
it is re-elected, it will reinstate the funding—so there is a huge gap
in funding that the state government has had to prop up, either because the
federal government could not get its act
together to provide continuity of funding or because it wanted to hold off on
the re-announcement of the funding of that program as an election
commitment. I think that is very, very poor practice. I commend the federal
Labor Party for coming in early and committing to funding the keeping women
safe in their home program.
I am very proud of the new funding
that the state government has put into domestic violence—more than $30 million
in this state budget, and more than $53 million in new funding for the
prevention of family and domestic violence in Western Australia.
question. Members in this house may be aware that just before our question time
there was a debate in the other house on domestic violence and this government's
response to it. In my role as Minister for Prevention of Family and Domestic
Violence, and when I visit services and speak to the public, I am continually
amazed to hear, as I did in that debate, how people disclose their own
experiences of domestic violence. It is an issue that touches too many Western Australians,
including many in this Parliament.
I am very proud to meet another
election commitment with the government's pre-budget announcement of
funding of $11.7 million for the establishment of two domestic violence hubs—one
in Mirrabooka and one in Kalgoorlie. The idea behind domestic violence hubs is
that they provide an alternative entry point for people experiencing domestic
violence to come forward and get advice and assistance. At the moment, victims
may obtain a restraining order, get legal advice, go to the police or go to a women's
refuge or health service. The idea of hubs is for there to be a co-location of
services such as legal and medical advice, financial advice, housing and the like.
Victims can access a range of different advice from specialist services, and
those services will be co-located so that victims do not have to re-tell their
stories a number of times. There is a sharing of information, which is very
important. Many members in this chamber will be familiar with the George Jones
Child Advocacy Centre, for instance, which provides co-located specialist
services very well. Specialists working in collaboration is the best model we
have for dealing with vulnerable people—in this case, victims of
domestic violence.
In
all of our responses to some of these very complex issues of domestic violence,
we are trying to look at the best evidence for approaching them, and that is
what we have done with our model to put together the new refuges we have
announced, and with the services provided by the domestic violence hubs. That
is in sharp contrast with the response by the federal government, which
recently announced just over $2 million for a new service in Western Australia. A number of representatives of the
domestic violence sector were critical of that allocation because there was no
evidence that that service had any track record of providing services or any
processes around that provision. There was some concern about making those
sorts of announcements. We really need to make sure that there is good
evidence, good processes and good evaluation of the work that is being done
when we make funding allocations.
Similarly, members will be aware
that the federal government stopped funding for the keeping women safe in their
home program, through which victims could stay in their house and have the
perpetrators moved out. The state government had to provide $500 000 to prop up
those services in Western Australia because the federal government pulled its
funding. In fact, the federal government has since reinstated that funding to
recommence after the federal election. The federal government has said that if
it is re-elected, it will reinstate the funding—so there is a huge gap
in funding that the state government has had to prop up, either because the
federal government could not get its act
together to provide continuity of funding or because it wanted to hold off on
the re-announcement of the funding of that program as an election
commitment. I think that is very, very poor practice. I commend the federal
Labor Party for coming in early and committing to funding the keeping women
safe in their home program.
I am very proud of the new funding
that the state government has put into domestic violence—more than $30 million
in this state budget, and more than $53 million in new funding for the
prevention of family and domestic violence in Western Australia.
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