Premier

The Orange Door Keeping Women And Children Safe

17 August 2018

The first of Victoria’s new Support and Safety Hubs have been launched, as the Andrews Labor Government works to protect women and children from violence and make it easier for families to access support.

Premier Daniel Andrews today joined hub practitioners and community members in Geelong to launch The Orange Door, the new name for the support and safety hubs, and a major plank of the Labor Government’s reform of family violence services.

The Orange Door is a fundamentally new approach of supporting women and children affected by family violence and represents a break from the past, where women were failed by a broken system.

A key principle of the service is that there is no wrong door for women seeking support or advice, with the positive branding for the hubs recognising this new approach – one that is welcoming and evokes a sense of hope, reassuring women that they will be able to get the support they need to get back on their feet again.

The Orange Door completely changes the way government delivers services to women and children experiencing family violence, and provides a visible contact point for victim survivors with access to highly-skilled workers and their connections to the justice, housing and social services.

The Orange Door also incorporates the existing ChildFIRST service to better connect families needing support with the care, wellbeing and development of children to the services they need.

Thanks to changes in laws around information sharing, workers at The Orange Door also benefit from the removal of barriers that prevented information about perpetrators from being shared effectively – something that has previously led to catastrophic consequences.

The support and safety hubs were a key recommendation of the landmark Royal Commission into Family Violence, with The Orange Door now operating in four areas – Bayside Peninsula, Barwon, Mallee and North Eastern Melbourne. Operations are set to commence in Inner Gippsland later this year.

By 2021, The Orange Door will be operating across all 17 Victorian Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) areas, with the locations of the next tranche of hubs set to be announced in coming months.

The Victorian Budget 2017/18 invested $448.1 million to establish the 17 support and safety hubs across the state, forming part of the Labor Government’s record $2.6 billion investment in family violence services.

Quotes attributable to the Premier of Victoria Daniel Andrews

“Thanks to The Orange Door, there will be no wrong door for families getting the support they need to stay safe.”

“We will never stop our work to end our nation’s number one law and order issue – family violence – putting the interests of women and children first. This is about saving lives and holding perpetrators to account.”

Quote attributable to the Special Minister of State Gavin Jennings

“The Orange Door makes getting support as seamless and safe as possible, ensuring women and children affected by family violence get the specialist help they need.”

Quote attributable to the Minister for Women Natalie Hutchins

“The Orange Door represents a big shift in the way we help and support women, children and families experiencing family violence – this is about putting the safety of women and children first.”

Quote attributable to the Minister for Police and Member for Bellarine Lisa Neville

“Family violence is our number one law and order issue and this service ensures that families get the support they need to stay safe and get back on their feet, while making perpetrators accountable for their actions.”

Quote attributable to the Member for Geelong Chris Couzens

“Thanks to this new service, local women and children affected by family violence will finally be able to get the support they need in one place right here in Geelong. This is about ending family violence and saving lives.”

Reviewed 19 August 2020

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