❓ The Minister outlines the Cook Labor government's $7 million investment in a flexible support program for victim-survivors of family and domestic violence, detailing how it will provide tailored support and address practical barriers.
AnsweredQoN 357Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
FAMILY AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE — SUPPORT
357. Ms M.M. QUIRK to the Minister for Prevention of Family
and Domestic Violence:
I refer to the Cook Labor government's
longstanding commitment to supporting victims of family, domestic and sexual
violence. Can the minister advise how the government's new investment
in a flexible support program will aid victim–survivors across Western Australia
and outline to the house how this program will fit into a broader package of
initiatives aimed at strengthening responses to family and domestic violence?
357. Ms M.M. QUIRK to the Minister for Prevention of Family
and Domestic Violence:
I refer to the Cook Labor government's
longstanding commitment to supporting victims of family, domestic and sexual
violence. Can the minister advise how the government's new investment
in a flexible support program will aid victim–survivors across Western Australia
and outline to the house how this program will fit into a broader package of
initiatives aimed at strengthening responses to family and domestic violence?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Landsdale for
her question. It provides me with an opportunity to update the house on a recent announcement I made that the government
will provide $7 million in funding to the flexible support program for
those affected by family and domestic violence. We all know that there are a number
of great refuges and safe houses right around the state that do extraordinary
work, each and every day, in supporting women and children fleeing family and
domestic violence. They tell us that each woman who presents has her own set of
circumstances and challenges in her particular story of fleeing violence. This
flexible support package of some $7 million will provide the funding that each
of those organisations need to provide them with the capacity to support women
where they need it most. It is a really critically important aspect of
supporting the crisis responses that we, as the government, make.
The
package will provide the organisations that do this critical work with the
discretion to apply funding and supports to give tailored support to
individual victim–survivors. It can be used to support victim–survivors
in addressing practical barriers and in accessing the things they need to
support their safety, recovery and autonomy. Importantly, as I said, the
funding recognises that it is the services that support these victim survivors
that are the experts in identifying what victim survivors need, and it gives
them the capacity to do that important, individualised work. There are no
restrictions to the amount provided, and funding is determined by the case
management plan.
We know that what one person needs
will be different for another. For example, a woman may have discovered that her abuser has been accessing her phone, so
she may need a cleaner prepaid phone with a different phone number to make calls to access family and domestic
violence services and her support network. The flexible funding package also provides for things like, but not limited to, funding for whitegoods and
furniture—practical things that help victim–survivors
get re-established in a new home. Some women may not feel safe living in a refuge
in a small town where the perpetrator resides, and this flexible funding
will allow those organisations to make the decision jointly with victims if
they need to re-establish themselves somewhere else. It can also be used for
travel costs to support victim survivors as they commence that important part
of recovery and reclaiming their lives. We know that the program is working,
with over 4 000 women having accessed the previous flexible support funding
between 2022 and 2023. It is very important; this is a critical piece of
funding that will support victim survivors where they need it most.
I was in Bunbury last week with my
sidekick here, the awesome member for Bunbury, and we met with Harbour, formerly known as the South West Refuge. I went to
the refuge previously last year. People there are so appreciative of
this funding, which allows it to help the women they work with on an individual
basis. We heard great examples of the real difference that it is making to
women's lives.
Of course, members, this is just a specific
example of the record funding that we have invested into family and domestic violence since coming to government, with
$420 million invested in this term of government alone. Behind that funding sits real-life stories of success and
support for women and children fleeing family and domestic violence . This is just one example of the real differences
that our investment makes, not only to support women in the important area of crisis support, but our record funding is also focused on holding
perpetrators to account, challenging them and providing them with supports to
change their cycle of abuse. Importantly, of course, we need to get to the root
cause of the violence in our community, and we will continue to invest in
primary prevention programs.
We are doing all these things on a day
in, day out basis to help the services that support the women and children
fleeing family and domestic violence. That is the business-as-usual work we do
each and every day. But, of course, connected
to that is the important system reform plan that is underway that takes the
work of the taskforce, made up of key government agencies and our sector
partners, to drive medium and long����–term change to make improvements
to the systems that seek to put victim–survivors at the heart of
everything we do.
her question. It provides me with an opportunity to update the house on a recent announcement I made that the government
will provide $7 million in funding to the flexible support program for
those affected by family and domestic violence. We all know that there are a number
of great refuges and safe houses right around the state that do extraordinary
work, each and every day, in supporting women and children fleeing family and
domestic violence. They tell us that each woman who presents has her own set of
circumstances and challenges in her particular story of fleeing violence. This
flexible support package of some $7 million will provide the funding that each
of those organisations need to provide them with the capacity to support women
where they need it most. It is a really critically important aspect of
supporting the crisis responses that we, as the government, make.
The
package will provide the organisations that do this critical work with the
discretion to apply funding and supports to give tailored support to
individual victim–survivors. It can be used to support victim–survivors
in addressing practical barriers and in accessing the things they need to
support their safety, recovery and autonomy. Importantly, as I said, the
funding recognises that it is the services that support these victim survivors
that are the experts in identifying what victim survivors need, and it gives
them the capacity to do that important, individualised work. There are no
restrictions to the amount provided, and funding is determined by the case
management plan.
We know that what one person needs
will be different for another. For example, a woman may have discovered that her abuser has been accessing her phone, so
she may need a cleaner prepaid phone with a different phone number to make calls to access family and domestic
violence services and her support network. The flexible funding package also provides for things like, but not limited to, funding for whitegoods and
furniture—practical things that help victim–survivors
get re-established in a new home. Some women may not feel safe living in a refuge
in a small town where the perpetrator resides, and this flexible funding
will allow those organisations to make the decision jointly with victims if
they need to re-establish themselves somewhere else. It can also be used for
travel costs to support victim survivors as they commence that important part
of recovery and reclaiming their lives. We know that the program is working,
with over 4 000 women having accessed the previous flexible support funding
between 2022 and 2023. It is very important; this is a critical piece of
funding that will support victim survivors where they need it most.
I was in Bunbury last week with my
sidekick here, the awesome member for Bunbury, and we met with Harbour, formerly known as the South West Refuge. I went to
the refuge previously last year. People there are so appreciative of
this funding, which allows it to help the women they work with on an individual
basis. We heard great examples of the real difference that it is making to
women's lives.
Of course, members, this is just a specific
example of the record funding that we have invested into family and domestic violence since coming to government, with
$420 million invested in this term of government alone. Behind that funding sits real-life stories of success and
support for women and children fleeing family and domestic violence . This is just one example of the real differences
that our investment makes, not only to support women in the important area of crisis support, but our record funding is also focused on holding
perpetrators to account, challenging them and providing them with supports to
change their cycle of abuse. Importantly, of course, we need to get to the root
cause of the violence in our community, and we will continue to invest in
primary prevention programs.
We are doing all these things on a day
in, day out basis to help the services that support the women and children
fleeing family and domestic violence. That is the business-as-usual work we do
each and every day. But, of course, connected
to that is the important system reform plan that is underway that takes the
work of the taskforce, made up of key government agencies and our sector
partners, to drive medium and long����–term change to make improvements
to the systems that seek to put victim–survivors at the heart of
everything we do.
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