Fair Agenda

Finding a way to escape your abuser is generally difficult and dangerous; in fact, the period when a woman tries to escape her abuser is a time she’s facing increased danger. That’s why it’s so important that everyone who reaches out for support to escape domestic violence can access it; and that we invest in the programs Australia needs to stop violence in the future.

The most recent national Personal Safety Survey (2016) showed rates of partner violence against women are at 1.7% (rising from 1.5% in 2005).

According to the latest data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, the number of requests for assistance because of domestic and family violence is also rising: with specialist homelessness services receiving 14,000 more requests for assistance for clients escaping domestic and family violence in 2016-17 than in the previous year.

1. Specialist family and domestic violence services

To escape abuse and danger, it’s critical that women and children are able to connect to integrated, 24-hour, specialist, accessible and culturally-safe supports - particularly for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, women from culturally and linguistically diverse communities and women with a disability. But right now, the federal government aren’t providing specialist services with the resources they need.

Specialist women’s services are the critical pillar of any response to domestic and family violence. They provide a unique, specialist understanding of the nature and dynamics of family and domestic violence; assessment and management of risk, and provide safe spaces for women and children who have experienced family violence to begin considering their options to recover from trauma and abuse. The Federal Government are responsible for contributing a significant amount of the funding specialist homelessness services rely on.

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare data shows the number of people experiencing family violence who have reached out to specialist homelessness services for help has increased from 105,619 in 2015-16, to 114,757 in 2016-17. There has been a 33% increase since 2011-12.

Every day there are an average of 261 requests for specialist homelessness services that has to be left unassisted. In 2016-17, the majority of those requests were from women (66%, or 172 women unassisted every day). There is no data on how many of those are reaching out because they’re affected by domestic violence.

2. Community Legal Centres

For those trying to escape a violent abuser, access to free legal advice and assistance is critical. In order to escape her abuser, a woman will often need legal help to find out what her rights and options are under family law; how she'll be able to access shared funds or property; and untangle debts and loans that might have been put in her name by her abuser.

Community Legal Centres provide critical support in all these areas - but they don’t have the funding they need to provide that support to everyone who needs it. In 2015-2016 centres were forced to turn away over 170,000 people, including people experiencing family violence.

In 2014 the Productivity Commission recommended that an immediate injection of at least $120 million per year of additional federal funding was required by the legal assistance sector to meet demand. This would mean at least $14.4 million additional funding per year for Community Legal Centres.

In recent years the Federal Government provided $23.4 million in pilot funding under the Women’s Safety Package to establish 18 new domestic violence units and health justice partnerships across Australia. These vital units have helped thousands of people experiencing family violence. The units and partnerships are being evaluated this year. To ensure the ongoing operation of those units and national roll-out beyond the existing 18 units, there is an urgent need for ongoing and increased funding.

Family Violence Prevention Legal Services

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women are 32 times more likely to be hospitalised for family violence than non-Aboriginal women and 10 times more likely to die from violent assault.

Family Violence Prevention Legal Services (FVPLS) are a critical specialist service that provides holistic, culturally safe legal and non-legal assistance, casework, counselling and court support to Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander people affected by family violence.

Right now, this service is only funded to service approximately half of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population.

The existing FVPLS services are not funded to help all the women reaching out to them for help. Some FVPLS report that up to 30-40% women contacting their service have to be turned away because there isn’t sufficient capacity to support them.

FVPLS funding levels are currently frozen at 2013-14 levels until 2020. For FVPLSs, the absence of CPI increases over 2013-14 to 2020 period results in a cumulative loss of approximately $9.7 million to the services.

In additional, the 14 Family Violence Prevention Legal Services need $2 million of additional funding each to ensure national service provisions (a total of $28 million annually). And the national FVPLS Forum needs $4.5 million to build capacity across all of these services.

3. Men’s family violence intervention programs

Working with men who use violent and controlling behaviour is critical to minimise and prevent family violence.

Men’s specialist family violence practitioners engage violent men to work toward the safety and wellbeing of their partner and children, and toward real, meaningful change.

Men’s specialist family violence experts are calling for further investment in national Minimum Standards [National Outcome Standards for Perpetrator Interventions, NOSPI] and accreditation to ensure all agencies engaging with men are delivering programs in line with best practice; integrating perpetrator accountability across the justice and social service system.

Australia’s largest peak body representing organisations and individuals working to end men’s use of family violence, No to Violence, is calling for more Federal funding investment in: men’s intake referral services, community-based Men’s Behaviour Change Programs, case management, and bi-partisan support/ investment in the Victorian Royal Commission into Family Violence recommendations.

Experts in the field are also calling for greater investment in workforce development & training, and diverse perpetrator intervention programs.

Other related service areas to keep an eye on

Women’s Health Services

Women’s Health Services play a critical role in both preventing violence from occurring and supporting women who are experiencing violence – including by referral to appropriate crisis support and accommodation assistance.

Primary health services, such as women’s health centres and GPs, are one of the key accessible pathways to safety for many women – with 1 in 5 women affected by family violence first disclose this to their GP.

Housing

Women and children who have been pushed out of their own homes by domestic and family violence often have to navigate lengthy and fragmented processes to access safe and affordable housing (both rental and purchase) – moving between accommodations that lack security of tenure and safety.

The lack of affordable and available housing in Australia limits exit pathways from crisis services for women and children leaving situations of family violence. Access to safe, affordable, long term housing is a critical issue for the vast majority of women and families escaping violence.

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