Page 4495 - Week 14 - Thursday, 9 December 1993
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VIOLENCE - NATIONAL COMMITTEE
Progress Report
Debate resumed from 14 September 1993, on motion by Mr Berry:
That the Assembly takes note of the paper.
MS ELLIS (4.33): Madam Speaker, I wish to speak generally about the considerable steps this Government has taken towards addressing the problem of violence in our community. This fact is evident in a number of our recent initiatives. Educational programs such as the adolescent development program in the ACT Department of Education and Training also provide education for life skills and outdoor living designed to raise self-esteem and to assist young people to address the issue of their own violent behaviour. This developmental program is run from the Dairy Flat farm site, in close consultation with ACT high schools, and assists students who may be experiencing behavioural, emotional, educational or social problems, including violent tendencies. I believe that programs such as this are vital in addressing the issue of violent behaviour before it impacts on the wider community.
The ACT Government is committed to addressing the issues which influence the incidence of violence in certain communities. Through funding provided under the national Aboriginal health strategy, the ACT Government has initiated a new position for an Aboriginal drug, alcohol and HIV/AIDS worker based at the Aboriginal Health Service to provide drug, alcohol and HIV/AIDS education, rehabilitation and support services to the local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community. Under this program, the Government is also committed to funding jointly an Aboriginal emergency accommodation project to ensure the adequate provision of housing to Aboriginal people.
It is important to note that a number of mechanisms exist across the ACT Government Service to facilitate the coordination of programs and services dealing with violence in the ACT. Such mechanisms as the child abuse and domestic violence committee in the family services branch and the child abuse coordinating committee in ACT Health seek to ensure that programs and services are being provided which adequately identify and treat victims of violence, especially victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse.
In addressing the issue of violence in the ACT, the Government continues to implement initiatives which seek to identify, understand and control violent behaviour in our community. The reference directed to the ACT Community Law Reform Committee to investigate and review the ACT's laws on sexual assault is but one example of the Government's commitment in this regard. As announced in the 1993-94 budget, this Government has approved the establishment of an acute behaviour management unit to support people who cannot be managed in existing mental health services. Further, the establishment of a generic after-hours crisis service will provide a response to instances of violent behaviour by people with an intellectual disability, personality disorder or psychiatric illness. Finally, the establishment of a halfway house for women seeking treatment for a drug use problem will provide an opportunity for some women who may also be escaping violence to undertake treatment.
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