The Malinauskas Labor Government has announced significant additional funding to help address domestic, family and sexual violence (DFSV).
Starting in January 2025, the Mid-Year Budget Review (MYBR) allocated almost $1 million annually to the Domestic Violence Crisis Line to boost staffing levels and enhance the helpline’s capacity to respond to calls outside business hours.
In 2023, the Domestic Violence Crisis Line, operated by Women’s Safety Services SA, received an average of more than 2,600 calls per month.
This significant State Government investment will increase the capacity for the Crisis Line to respond to callers and reduce the amount of unanswered calls.
Whilst in the past, on average, four out of five calls to the crisis line are answered, one in five remain unanswered due to resource constraints. Recent data for June 2024 revealed an even greater strain, with only 70% of calls answered, leaving one in three callers without immediate support.
In part, the increasing demand can be attributed to heightened national and state-level awareness of domestic, family, and sexual violence, including through the South Australian Royal Commission into the Prevention of Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence which was initiated by the Malinauskas Government earlier this year.
This trend underscores the critical need for additional resources to ensure victim-survivors can access help when they need it most.
An additional $880,000 per annum in funding will allow for increased staffing and improve the helpline’s capacity to handle calls, especially outside normal business hours.
Further, the MYBR has approved nearly $200,000 more per year for the Government funded Personal Protection App.
This app, which provides a direct link to SAPOL via a 24-hour monitored security centre, is a vital tool for individuals at risk of DFSV. The increased funding will enable the app to annually support an additional 120 individuals.
The Domestic Violence Crisis line can be accessed by all South Australians needing advice and support at 1800 800 098.
As put by Katrine Hildyard
Domestic, family and sexual violence is devastating; it impacts so many across our state, with tragic consequences. We know it plays out in every suburb, town and regional area. Unfortunately, no community is spared.
This additional funding reaffirms our Government’s strong commitment to helping ensure that wherever survivors live, they will receive the support they need, when they need it.
We acknowledge that every unanswered call represents a missed opportunity to provide safety and support. By boosting staffing and expanding the capacity of critical services like the Domestic Violence Crisis Line and the Personal Protection App, we are taking tangible steps to address the growing demand for help.
This funding will save lives.
This funding sits alongside a range of other investments and initiatives our government has enacted. We are determined to play our part to help prevent DFSV and this investment is another clear indicator of our Government doing just that.
As put by Maria Hagias, CEO, Women’s Safety Services SA
Women’s Safety Services South Australia is thrilled with the Malinauskas government’s announcement of significant additional funding to support our Domestic Violence Crisis Line (DVCL). As community awareness of domestic and family violence has grown in recent years, calls to the DVCL have increased drastically.
It is critical that the capacity of our service is able to rise to this demand. All too often, by the time a woman is calling the DVCL, her life is already in danger. It is imperative that we are able to respond to her call. We commend the Malinauskas government for this additional funding, and for recognising the urgency.
As put by Mary Leaker, General Manager, Embolden
This injection of funding is much-needed and will help ensure that South Australians who are experiencing domestic and family violence and in crisis receive help and support.
While this new funding is welcome, there remains a critical need for our services to be able to intervene earlier – before couples or families reach crisis point – and also to support longer-term recovery and healing, to break inter-generational cycles of violence. Embolden, along with many South Australians, is looking to SA’s Royal Commission into domestic, family and sexual violence to drive that transformative change.
