Page 692 - Week 03 - Tuesday, 17 March 2015
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Funding has also gone to: Victim Support ACT, which provides counselling, court support and advocacy services to victims of crime, including those who are victims of family violence; and the Domestic Violence Crisis Service, which aims to promote the safety of people subject to domestic violence and operates within a human rights and social justice framework to provide crisis intervention and address the problem of violence and abuse in relationships. The service was recently funded with an additional $40,000 to deliver the partner contact support component of the domestic abuse program which is expected to be rolled out in the coming months.
There has been funding for: ACT Policing and the Domestic Violence Crisis Service for the domestic violence incident review mechanism which is in place and allows for both services to jointly review all instances of domestic violence and respond to areas requiring improvement or medical action; the Canberra Rape Crisis Centre, which provides a crisis counselling line, Indigenous community support, counselling to victims and their families, and community education programs; and, finally, to the ACT Legal Aid Domestic Violence and Protection Order Unit, which provides advice on the process for applying for an order, assistance with submitting an application and representation in court.
As you can see, Madam Deputy Speaker, the government funds a comprehensive range of services and programs to address and tackle the problem of domestic and family violence in our community. Today I am also pleased to advise members that the government will be implementing changes to the victims of crime financial assistance scheme to better respond to the needs of those in our community who experience family violence. The new scheme will be a more accessible and user-friendly means for all victims of violent crime. Applicants will no longer have to lodge complex court forms or appear in court for out-of-time applications. Instead, the Victims of Crime Commissioner will be administering the new scheme, and this will provide holistic case management for applicants, to ensure all applicants are supported in the making of the application.
The new scheme will provide assistance when victims need it, without having to go through a complex and lengthy court process. Victims of family violence will be eligible for specific expenses that they incur or may require immediately after a crime for the purposes of promoting recovery, preventing further harm and minimising further threats to safety. The types of urgent assistance victims of family violence will be eligible for include emergency accommodation, relocation costs, installation of security measures and emergency medical costs. Urgent payments will be assessed on an abridged application process in much shorter time frames than currently apply.
Significantly, the government has also given its policy agreement to broaden the scope of eligibility for victims of family violence. This means that those who experience intimidation and harassment will become eligible. No longer does someone have to wait until there is a physical act of violence to be eligible for assistance under the scheme.
As a government we recognise that reporting matters to the police is not always the first step taken by someone who experiences violence in their own home. Research
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