The Andrews Labor Government is getting on with delivering Support and Safety Hubs where victim survivors of family violence can access the help they need to stay safe.
Premier Daniel Andrews today joined family violence practitioners in Geelong to announce the first Hubs will be launched in the Barwon, Bayside Peninsula, Inner Gippsland, Mallee and North-East Melbourne regions.
The Hubs were a key recommendation of the Royal Commission into Family Violence and will prioritise the safety of women and children.
They will be a visible contact point for victim survivors and will provide the community with access to highly skilled workers that are integrated into the broader social service and justice systems.
This announcement follows the release of the Labor Government’s 10 Year Plan to end family violence, detailing how the 227 recommendations made by Australia’s first Royal Commission into Family Violence will be delivered.
To help achieve a Victoria where no women or children are killed as a result of family violence, the Labor Government will also:
- Recruit new specialist family violence workers to support women and their children access services they need to stay safe and get back on their feet
- Invest a further $218 million in social housing and private rental assistance, bringing housing investment to $600 million since the Royal Commission report
- Strengthen intervention orders, tighten up the bail process, and allow for the better sharing of information so a victims right to safety isn’t trumped by a perpetrators right to privacy
- Provide specialist training to Victoria Police officers who play a critical role in responding to family violence and upgrade our courts to provide greater security for victim survivors
- Initiate a Primary Prevention strategy, alongside a state-wide behavioural change campaign, to help stop family violence happening in the first place.
The Labor Government made a record $572 million investment in the Victorian Budget 2016/17. A 10 Year Investment Plan will be released in March 2017 detailing the further funding needed to implement our reforms.
Quotes attributable to Premier Daniel Andrews
“Together, we’re building a new system to stop family violence, protect the victims, and punish the guilty.”
“The Support and Safety Hubs will give families the support they need to stay safe, with world’s best practice and the world’s best family violence workforce.”
“This is about putting people first and ending family violence once and for all.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020