Page 691 - Week 03 - Tuesday, 17 March 2015
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particular, it is worth highlighting the Queensland special task force on domestic and family violence, headed up by the Hon Quentin Bryce, former Governor-General. There is also a national review underway to allow domestic violence orders to be recognised across all state and territory borders. This work recognises that too often women who move to another state or territory in an effort to escape violence face unnecessary administrative barriers to safety. The aim of a national domestic violence order scheme is to reduce threats to women and children escaping domestic violence by removing state and territory borders when it comes to the application of these domestic violence orders.
In addition to programs, initiatives and legislation, the ACT government has been able to apply confiscated criminal assets to a series of women’s safety initiatives since 2009. The confiscated assets trust fund is established by the Confiscation of Criminal Assets Act 2003. Criminal assets funding has been provided to agencies, including the Domestic Violence Crisis Service, the Canberra Rape Crisis Centre, Legal Aid ACT and the Women’s Legal Centre. The distribution of funds helps to resource important programs to aid victims and perpetrators of domestic and family violence. Last week I announced approval of an additional $300,000 from the confiscated assets trust fund for a number of purposes aimed at addressing domestic and family violence in the ACT.
I approved $100,000 for the Domestic Violence Project Coordinator to develop an ACT domestic and family violence data framework. The development of a data framework is a priority of the family violence intervention program and the Domestic Violence Prevention Council. It is proposed the framework will be developed to build on the development by the Australian Bureau of Statistics of a conceptual framework for domestic and family violence. The funding will allow a for project officer to progress this work and for the FVIP to engage the Australian Institute of Criminology on its development.
I have also approved $100,000 for the Domestic Violence Prevention Council to expand its capacity to carry out its functions under the Domestic Violence Agencies Act. The council has taken on a significant program of work, and this funding will allow the council to be appropriately supported, as it is made up of volunteers, to expand and implement its priorities and programs.
Finally, $100,000 has been approved for a grants process for activities or projects aligned with the ACT’s prevention of violence against women and children strategy. In addition to the use of funds under the confiscated assets trust fund arrangements, the ACT government has allocated over $5.5 million in the 2014-15 financial year to a range of domestic and family violence and sexual assault support programs, including to Beryl Women Inc. for providing therapeutic support and safe housing to women and children escaping domestic and family violence, and the Canberra Men’s Centre, which provides a range of services to men with complex needs, including perpetrators of family violence. The Canberra Men’s Centre also recently ran a program called “Working with the man”, which involves victims and perpetrators of domestic violence, with a particular focus on long-term behavioural changes in men who have been violent towards women.
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