Today’s ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Cabinet announcement brings total funding for the ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children to $3.7 billion over 5 years, plus additional money for legal services.
Any funding increase for the frontline responders to the national crisis of violence against women is welcome, but today’s announcement still leaves frontline services underfunded, with one in four women who seek help at risk of being turned away.
As stated by Australian Greens leader in the Senate and spokesperson on women, Senator Larissa Waters
“Today’s funding shortfall still leaves one in four women at risk of being turned away from a frontline family, domestic and sexual violence service.
“While today’s announcement offers a modest improvement ($351 federal money, matched by states) on funding for frontline services, with a new total of $3.7 billion federal funding under the ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Plan over 5 years, it’s still only 75% of the $1 billion each year that the women’s safety sector needs.
“Money on paper is no guarantee that services will actually receive the money – previous federal funding under the Plan has disappeared into state government administration with no transparency on where it ends up – and services say they aren’t getting it.
“Likewise the promised 500 federally funded frontline workers have still not materialised.
“It’s disappointing that ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Cabinet kicked the can down the road on alcohol sales, and that there is still prevarication from the federal government on regulating gambling advertising.
“We welcome funding to establish national standards for men’s behaviour change, something the Greens have asked for for several years.
“On the legal services funding of $3.9 billion over five years, we will examine the detail once it becomes available, but it was concerning to hear the PM note that only $500 million will go towards additional workers for the legal sector. We know that 1,000 women are turned away from women’s legal services each week, and we fear $500 million will not fix that.
“This is about priorities. If Labor funded just one less nuclear submarine they would have more than the amount required to fully fund frontline family, domestic and sexual violence services.
“They could scrap the $11 billion annually they are currently handing to the fossil fuel industry. Or the $15.9 billion annually to property investors.
“Women are missing out when submarines, gas companies and property barons are showered with public money.”
