❓ The Minister details the Cook Labor government's investments in refuge services and FDV prevention, including specific funding allocations announced during the 16 Days in WA campaign, highlighting increased refuge capacity and support programs.
AnsweredQoN 711Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
Refuge services—16 Days in WA campaign
711. Ms Divina D'Anna to
the Minister for Prevention of Family and
Domestic Violence:
I refer to the Cook
Labor government's commitment to building safe and inclusive communities.
(1) Can the minister update the house on what this
government is doing to improve access to refuge services?
(2) Can the minister also advise what additional
support has been announced during this year's 16 Days in WA?
711. Ms Divina D'Anna to
the Minister for Prevention of Family and
Domestic Violence:
I refer to the Cook
Labor government's commitment to building safe and inclusive communities.
(1) Can the minister update the house on what this
government is doing to improve access to refuge services?
(2) Can the minister also advise what additional
support has been announced during this year's 16 Days in WA?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) Can I thank the member not only
for the question today, but also for having me up in the Kimberley last week to
discuss this very important topic. We are on day nine of the ninth year of the
16 Days in WA campaign to raise awareness around family and domestic violence
and drive change across the state. The Cook Labor government is committed to
strong investment in the prevention of family and domestic violence. The Premier
announced on Monday a record $110 million in investment—new
announcements—into the prevention of family and domestic violence. This
investment raises our total contribution to $708 million since we were elected
in 2017. The package that was announced included $14.8 million for refuge
accommodation. As I said, I was up in the Kimberley with the member last week to announce $4.2 million for additional refuge
accommodation in the Broome electorate. This actually came about from some
very heavy advocacy from the member herself. The Kimberley was one of the first
places I visited when I became the Minister for Prevention of Family and
Domestic Violence, and it does see some rates that we are not happy with.
Through the member's advocacy, we were able to work on a solution together to
deliver additional refuge accommodation in Broome.
The Premier also joined me on
Sunday in Midland, where we announced $3.7 million in funding to provide five
new local refuge units. I was very pleased to join Hon Samantha Rowe in Albany
last week as well to announce a $6.9 million commitment that will see the
Southern Aboriginal Corporation bring online an additional six self-contained
units to complete the unit design to 12 on that site. We saw some of the units
there, and they are very well progressed. They will be very impactful in what
they will deliver into the community and very sensitive to the community's
needs. They are adaptable so that bigger or smaller families can go into them
as needed.
Since 2017, our government has
increased refuge capacity by 91 units. This was a woefully underfunded segment
of the sector before we were elected in 2017. Our latest announcements bring
the pipeline of units to 102, so we have now increased refuge capacity in this
state by 41% over the past eight years. With the current 102-unit building
program, it is the biggest ever investment to provide crisis accommodation in
this state.
I also acknowledge the member
for Kalgoorlie and the Minister for Housing and Works for the announcement that
we made on transitional housing in Kalgoorlie when I was there. Although this
is not refuge accommodation, it will ease refuge capacity. The accommodation is
for women who have been in a refuge and have now found themselves able to
transition out of the refuge. It eases the pressure on refuges by providing
women with transitional accommodation. I thank my colleague the Minister for
Housing and Works for allowing us to repurpose those units into FDV
transitional accommodation.
Some other things that we are
doing include $34.9 million to expand the family and domestic violence response
team, enabling metro teams to operate seven days a week, in line with what
regional teams currently do, and to allow for additional staff. There is also
$45.8 million to strengthen our systemwide response to family and domestic
violence, including the Safe at Home program, under which the onus of leaving
the house is put on the perpetrator or the person using violence, and we work
with the women and children who are then kept safe at home.
We are over halfway through our
16 Days in WA campaign and I have been fortunate to be at many events. The
attendance at these events has been really high this year. It just shows the
momentum that this campaign is getting. It is not merely an orange sock
campaign; it is truly a campaign for change.
for the question today, but also for having me up in the Kimberley last week to
discuss this very important topic. We are on day nine of the ninth year of the
16 Days in WA campaign to raise awareness around family and domestic violence
and drive change across the state. The Cook Labor government is committed to
strong investment in the prevention of family and domestic violence. The Premier
announced on Monday a record $110 million in investment—new
announcements—into the prevention of family and domestic violence. This
investment raises our total contribution to $708 million since we were elected
in 2017. The package that was announced included $14.8 million for refuge
accommodation. As I said, I was up in the Kimberley with the member last week to announce $4.2 million for additional refuge
accommodation in the Broome electorate. This actually came about from some
very heavy advocacy from the member herself. The Kimberley was one of the first
places I visited when I became the Minister for Prevention of Family and
Domestic Violence, and it does see some rates that we are not happy with.
Through the member's advocacy, we were able to work on a solution together to
deliver additional refuge accommodation in Broome.
The Premier also joined me on
Sunday in Midland, where we announced $3.7 million in funding to provide five
new local refuge units. I was very pleased to join Hon Samantha Rowe in Albany
last week as well to announce a $6.9 million commitment that will see the
Southern Aboriginal Corporation bring online an additional six self-contained
units to complete the unit design to 12 on that site. We saw some of the units
there, and they are very well progressed. They will be very impactful in what
they will deliver into the community and very sensitive to the community's
needs. They are adaptable so that bigger or smaller families can go into them
as needed.
Since 2017, our government has
increased refuge capacity by 91 units. This was a woefully underfunded segment
of the sector before we were elected in 2017. Our latest announcements bring
the pipeline of units to 102, so we have now increased refuge capacity in this
state by 41% over the past eight years. With the current 102-unit building
program, it is the biggest ever investment to provide crisis accommodation in
this state.
I also acknowledge the member
for Kalgoorlie and the Minister for Housing and Works for the announcement that
we made on transitional housing in Kalgoorlie when I was there. Although this
is not refuge accommodation, it will ease refuge capacity. The accommodation is
for women who have been in a refuge and have now found themselves able to
transition out of the refuge. It eases the pressure on refuges by providing
women with transitional accommodation. I thank my colleague the Minister for
Housing and Works for allowing us to repurpose those units into FDV
transitional accommodation.
Some other things that we are
doing include $34.9 million to expand the family and domestic violence response
team, enabling metro teams to operate seven days a week, in line with what
regional teams currently do, and to allow for additional staff. There is also
$45.8 million to strengthen our systemwide response to family and domestic
violence, including the Safe at Home program, under which the onus of leaving
the house is put on the perpetrator or the person using violence, and we work
with the women and children who are then kept safe at home.
We are over halfway through our
16 Days in WA campaign and I have been fortunate to be at many events. The
attendance at these events has been really high this year. It just shows the
momentum that this campaign is getting. It is not merely an orange sock
campaign; it is truly a campaign for change.
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