❓ The Minister outlines how the $96.4 million investment will support victim-survivors of family and domestic violence, acting on recommendations from the Family and Domestic Violence Taskforce, focusing on workforce development, information sharing, risk assessment and management.
AnsweredQoN 267Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
FAMILY AND DOMESTIC
VIOLENCE
267. Ms J.J. SHAW to the Minister for Prevention of Family
and Domestic Violence:
I refer to the Cook Labor government's
strong commitment to ending family and domestic violence in Western Australia.
(1) Can the
minister advise the house how this government's $96.4 million
investment in this year's budget will support victim�–survivors
of family and domestic violence?
(2) Can the
minister advise the house how this investment acts on recommendations from the
Family and Domestic Violence Taskforce?
VIOLENCE
267. Ms J.J. SHAW to the Minister for Prevention of Family
and Domestic Violence:
I refer to the Cook Labor government's
strong commitment to ending family and domestic violence in Western Australia.
(1) Can the
minister advise the house how this government's $96.4 million
investment in this year's budget will support victim�–survivors
of family and domestic violence?
(2) Can the
minister advise the house how this investment acts on recommendations from the
Family and Domestic Violence Taskforce?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) I thank the member for the question and
acknowledge her ongoing advocacy on this important issue around addressing family and domestic violence, which has at its heart our absolute
commitment to keeping women safe.
The Cook government is absolutely
dedicated to preventing family and domestic violence and reducing the harm that
perpetrators cause to women and children in our community. We also know that
everyone has a role to play in preventing
that violence from occurring. Members might remember back in September ,
when the community and key stakeholders convened a summit where the Premier and
senior members of cabinet attended and listened to sector experts about what
needed to happen to further improve the Cook government's response to
the prevention of family and domestic violence. One of the key things the
sector asked for was for us to convene a taskforce, which we did. The Premier
listened and made it a priority to convene a taskforce made up of the directors
general, the Commissioner of Police, the Under Treasurer as well as key
stakeholders for a short, sharp six-month period to investigate what more we
can do to put victim–survivors foremost in all our thinking and
responses around family and domestic violence.
I want to be absolutely clear on the
system reform plan, which the taskforce put together. It is not a government
document in the sense that it was produced by government. The government
listened, but the sector experts were at the heart of putting together the
system reform plan. We announced it nearly two
weeks ago. Importantly, it will transform the way we design and deliver
services for victim–survivors , putting them at the heart so we
see them, we hear them, we believe them, we keep them safe and we support them
in that important journey of rebuilding and healing. The system reform plan has
four key pillars: workforce development, information sharing, risk assessment
and risk management. Of course, the Premier and I announced that in this year's
budget we are committing to $96.4 million to action that plan. It will clearly
show the sector and the community that we are absolutely committed to working
in partnership to continue the good work of this government in this sector.
Some of the initiatives that are guided by the work of the taskforce include
new and expanded FDV and crisis services, and the expansion of two existing
rapid rehousing initiatives and a safe house in Leonora. Importantly, there are
also further investment in wraparound delivery and recovery services, the
expansion of counselling services, and the expansion of the FDV response teams
to 17 around the state. They can now operate seven days a week because we know
violence does not occur between the hours of nine to five; it happens on
weekends, so it is an important investment.
We have heard from the sector and we are getting on with it. There is money to
invest in establishing a central information point, making agencies and various
sector providers work closer together, because we want women to know there is
no wrong door. We do not want women to keep retelling their stories, and we
must get better at connecting services and agencies to support victim–survivors.
This $96.4 million builds on the
$70-odd million we announced in November. When we think about it, it is $170 million invested since the beginning of
the taskforce. That is an unprecedented amount of investment in preventing family and domestic violence. It
builds on our priority in this area since coming to government, which
means some $470 million has been prioritised into the prevention of family and
domestic violence. However, we know that investment alone does not solve the
problem. It is about working together with experts and our sector partners. It
is also about working with parliamentary colleagues and cabinet colleagues because family and domestic violence is
not just my responsibility. It is not just the responsibility of police
who try to keep women safe. It is everyone's responsibility in
government. It is everyone's responsibility in our community. We play
our part.
In
conclusion, I want to thank those sector partners who worked so hard and well
to put this system reform plan together. Of course, in particular, I note
the Centre for Women's Safety and Wellbeing and Alison Evans. Last
week, the centre welcomed the announcement and our commitment to the system
reform plan, stating —
There's no overstating the
importance of government leadership in this work and we believe that the
government has shown leadership today by committing to a Family and Domestic
Violence System Reform Plan �
We are committed to implementing that
plan. In summary, it is about system reforms, but the day-to-day work that we
have been doing since 2017 in supporting women in crisis accommodation, in
holding perpetrators to account and in investing in the important work of
primary education continues because we know how to chew gum and walk at the
same time.
acknowledge her ongoing advocacy on this important issue around addressing family and domestic violence, which has at its heart our absolute
commitment to keeping women safe.
The Cook government is absolutely
dedicated to preventing family and domestic violence and reducing the harm that
perpetrators cause to women and children in our community. We also know that
everyone has a role to play in preventing
that violence from occurring. Members might remember back in September ,
when the community and key stakeholders convened a summit where the Premier and
senior members of cabinet attended and listened to sector experts about what
needed to happen to further improve the Cook government's response to
the prevention of family and domestic violence. One of the key things the
sector asked for was for us to convene a taskforce, which we did. The Premier
listened and made it a priority to convene a taskforce made up of the directors
general, the Commissioner of Police, the Under Treasurer as well as key
stakeholders for a short, sharp six-month period to investigate what more we
can do to put victim–survivors foremost in all our thinking and
responses around family and domestic violence.
I want to be absolutely clear on the
system reform plan, which the taskforce put together. It is not a government
document in the sense that it was produced by government. The government
listened, but the sector experts were at the heart of putting together the
system reform plan. We announced it nearly two
weeks ago. Importantly, it will transform the way we design and deliver
services for victim–survivors , putting them at the heart so we
see them, we hear them, we believe them, we keep them safe and we support them
in that important journey of rebuilding and healing. The system reform plan has
four key pillars: workforce development, information sharing, risk assessment
and risk management. Of course, the Premier and I announced that in this year's
budget we are committing to $96.4 million to action that plan. It will clearly
show the sector and the community that we are absolutely committed to working
in partnership to continue the good work of this government in this sector.
Some of the initiatives that are guided by the work of the taskforce include
new and expanded FDV and crisis services, and the expansion of two existing
rapid rehousing initiatives and a safe house in Leonora. Importantly, there are
also further investment in wraparound delivery and recovery services, the
expansion of counselling services, and the expansion of the FDV response teams
to 17 around the state. They can now operate seven days a week because we know
violence does not occur between the hours of nine to five; it happens on
weekends, so it is an important investment.
We have heard from the sector and we are getting on with it. There is money to
invest in establishing a central information point, making agencies and various
sector providers work closer together, because we want women to know there is
no wrong door. We do not want women to keep retelling their stories, and we
must get better at connecting services and agencies to support victim–survivors.
This $96.4 million builds on the
$70-odd million we announced in November. When we think about it, it is $170 million invested since the beginning of
the taskforce. That is an unprecedented amount of investment in preventing family and domestic violence. It
builds on our priority in this area since coming to government, which
means some $470 million has been prioritised into the prevention of family and
domestic violence. However, we know that investment alone does not solve the
problem. It is about working together with experts and our sector partners. It
is also about working with parliamentary colleagues and cabinet colleagues because family and domestic violence is
not just my responsibility. It is not just the responsibility of police
who try to keep women safe. It is everyone's responsibility in
government. It is everyone's responsibility in our community. We play
our part.
In
conclusion, I want to thank those sector partners who worked so hard and well
to put this system reform plan together. Of course, in particular, I note
the Centre for Women's Safety and Wellbeing and Alison Evans. Last
week, the centre welcomed the announcement and our commitment to the system
reform plan, stating —
There's no overstating the
importance of government leadership in this work and we believe that the
government has shown leadership today by committing to a Family and Domestic
Violence System Reform Plan �
We are committed to implementing that
plan. In summary, it is about system reforms, but the day-to-day work that we
have been doing since 2017 in supporting women in crisis accommodation, in
holding perpetrators to account and in investing in the important work of
primary education continues because we know how to chew gum and walk at the
same time.
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