Today, Women’s Safety NSW welcomes the announcement from the NSW Government that women experiencing violence without eligibility to Medicare; inclusive of women on temporary visas, will now have access to free hospital care without the requirement to produce a police report.
“We commend the NSW Government for continuing to work with Women’s Safety NSW and other domestic violence representative bodies to address the systemic barriers for women on temporary visas seeking to escape violence and abuse in the home” says Hayley Foster, Chief Executive Officer of Women’s Safety NSW. “We look forward to continuing this work to provide a safer pathway to ensure critical access to income, accommodation and interpreter services for this group of women who are at particular risk at this time.”
One significant measure that Women’s Safety NSW and a national alliance of 40 organisations are still calling for at the federal level is a special sub-class of visa for women on temporary visas escaping violence to be able to access essential Government services including Centrelink, Medicare, health and housing whilst their safety is being secured.
“We are aware this was on the agenda of the nation’s Women’s Safety Minister’s meeting last week and we are awaiting the outcome of their deliberations” says Foster.
