SIMON Corbell has announced an extra $300,000 in funding to address family and domestic violence.
The funding from the Confiscated Assets Trust Fund will be used for the development of an ACT domestic violence data framework ($100,000), women’s safety grants ($100,000) and extra funding for the Domestic Violence Prevention Council to expand and progress its works program ($100,000).
“Preventing domestic violence has been a high priority for the ACT Government and support on this issue is welcome at a time that important work continues to progress to help limit the danger posed to Canberra’s women and children by domestic violence,” Simon said.
The ACT Government is a signatory to the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children 2010-2022 and the ACT Prevention of Violence against Women and Children Strategy 2011-2017 and has held five roundtables since 2012 in response to the Australian Law Reform Commission report Family Violence – A National Legal Response. Stakeholders at the five roundtables were consulted on the ALRC’s 131 state and territory recommendations.
Last year Mr Corbell, as Attorney-General, wrote to the Domestic Violence Prevention Council, asking it to undertake a review into 72 domestic violence related deaths between 1988 and 2012.
“The review, when received by the ACT Government later this year, will provide a robust and independent picture of domestic and family violence in the ACT which, along with continued interaction with other stakeholders, will help to inform government decisions about domestic and family violence mechanisms into the future,” Mr Corbell said.
In recognition of the fact that domestic violence crosses all borders the ACT Government has committed to driving continuous improvement through sharing outcomes of reviews into deaths and homicides related to domestic violence with other states and territories.
“Domestic and family violence has a very human cost, claiming the lives of more than 100 people in Australia every year,” Mr Corbell said.
“Improved territory funding, continued in-depth research and an increased effort to fight the commonwealth’s onerous budget cuts to organisations that help women escape domestic violence situations are all areas that the ACT Government agrees that bipartisan support is vital.
“Just last week all state and territory Attorneys-General took a bipartisan approach to this issue and co-signed a letter to Federal Attorney-General George Brandis requesting that he stop the massive funding cuts that are severely impacting on legal assistance organisations’ ability to deliver services to those most in need,” Mr Corbell said.
“These organisations, like the Women’s Legal Centre and Legal Aid, are critical avenues of support for women who are attempting to escape from potentially deadly domestic situations.”
The post A small sum for domestic violence from the ACT Government appeared first on Canberra CityNews.