Tell the govt: fully fund women’s safety
Men’s use of gender-based violence is a crisis across the country. Yet governments are choosing not to properly resource life-saving family, domestic and sexual violence services.
The Albanese Government's latest budget has done nothing to address the unacceptable barriers to accessing: specialist domestic and family violence services, legal assistance services, sexual violence services, and perpetrator interventions.
Every day violence services aren't fully funded is another day women are left in danger.
Enough is enough. We’re calling on governments to invest in a future where women can live, work and learn free from violence. A budget that ensures that a woman or girl who has been raped doesn’t wait months for trauma counselling support. A budget that ensures services have the capacity to respond to a man at risk of using violence. And importantly a budget that ensures any person subject to violence is supported to be safe and escape their abuser.
Join us by calling on the federal government to make women’s safety should be a non-negotiable at the heart of their budgets.
*If you or someone you know is experiencing family violence, you can call 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732 for 24/7 support. If you are in immediate danger call 000.
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There are gaping holes in the safety net that should be in place for women affected by sexual, domestic and family violence. Funding is urgently needed across every part of the system. Heading into this year's federal budget we know that:
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Women's legal services - that have to turn away an estimated 52,000 women every year because governments don’t fund them to meet demand.
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Family violence prevention legal services - that can’t reach all the families in need of their critical specialist services - and are calling for substantial urgent investment direct to services.
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Specialist sexual violence trauma counselling services - that aren’t properly funded by governments. That means there are dire waiting lists around the country, and many victim-survivors have to wait months.
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Specialist domestic and family violence services - that are not funded to meet demand for their vital case management services.
- Men’s behaviour change services - that say their vital family safety contact work (ensuring affected family members have regular support and information) is not being factored into many funding contracts.
- Refuges - that say they’re forced to turn away women in imminent danger
Join the campaign to show the Albanese Government we want women’s safety to be at the core of their budgets; and we want these services fully funded.