The Andrews Labor Government is backing the development of two new family violence apps that remove barriers for women fleeing family violence, helping them to better navigate the legal system.
The Special Minister of State Gavin Jennings shared these examples of Victoria’s response to family violence while learning about current data sharing initiatives being explored by the German Government and the Scottish Government’s efforts to solve policy challenges through innovation.
The Labor Government is providing $800,000 towards the apps, which are being developed in response to recommendations made by the Royal Commission into Family Violence regarding safe technology and improved systems for information sharing.
They include:
- SmartSafe+, an app that supports women to safely collect evidence in a secure cloud-based account, and make a personalised safety plan and store important documents should they need to leave home quickly
- YourCase, an app designed to make court proceedings less traumatic for victim survivors by providing support and tailored information on how the legal process works
Through the $11 million Public Sector Innovation Fund, the Labor Government is finding new, more effective solutions to complex policy and service delivery challenges such as family violence and homelessness.
This investment is supported by the Government’s new Public Sector Innovation Strategy, Putting Innovation in Motion, which aims to improve the lives of Victorians by supporting and driving innovation across government.
To gain further insights on how other countries are delivering innovative policy solutions, Mr Jennings met with the Scottish Government’s ground-breaking CivTech program, which engages tech start-ups and the community to deliver solutions to public sector challenges through an intensive four month accelerator programme.
To view the Public Sector Innovation Strategy please go to .
Quotes attributable to Special Minister of State Gavin Jennings
“An Australian women dies every week due to family violence. This investment is about giving women fleeing family violence the tools they need to leave abusive relationships and ensure the perpetrator is held to account.”
“Whether it’s better protecting women from family violence, tackling homelessness or boosting health outcomes, our public sector innovation agenda is improving the lives of everyday Victorians.”
Quotes attributable to Domestic Violence Resource Centre Victoria CEO Emily Maguire
“Smart Safe+ has helped women feel empowered to prove incidents of family violence and patterns of coercive and controlling behaviour. SmartSafe+ 2.0 will help even more women feel more in control of their safety.”
Quotes attributable to CivTech Head Alexander Holt
“It was great to hear about the work being done by the Victorian Government and we look forward to sharing good practice in delivering better value innovative services for citizens.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020