Page 855 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 9 March 2016
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grants ranged from the development and trial of specific resources for the LGBTIQ community to raise awareness of domestic violence, the trial of an abuse disclosure act to assist communication and disclosure of abuse in relation to people with moderate to severe intellectual disability and the development of an information package targeted to migrant women, medical professions and support workers explaining aspects of the migration legislation relevant to migrant women who are experiencing domestic violence.
Another example of the ACT government’s encouragement of innovative approaches to addressing diverse experience of violence can be seen in our support for domestic violence leave for ACT government employees. The ACT has been a national leader in the implementation of domestic violence leave; I was disappointed to read this morning that it has now been struck out of federal parliamentary agreements—considered by some as an ‘enhancement’. Domestic violence leave is not an enhancement or an advantage; it is also not sick or recreation leave. It is a recognition by employers that our whole society has a responsibility for domestic violence and that, as employers, we can step up and do our part by giving this option to people who have experienced domestic and family violence.
As with all good programs that begin as innovative, it is my hope that the federal government will recognise the importance of this to people who are experiencing domestic violence and make it the norm.
MADAM SPEAKER: Supplementary question, Mr Hinder.
MR HINDER: Minister, how does funding for housing and homelessness services assist in addressing the causes and effects of domestic and family violence?
MS BERRY: Domestic violence is one of the main drivers of homelessness across the country. In the ACT over a quarter—27 per cent—of all clients of all specialist homelessness services in 2014-15 identified family and domestic violence as a reason for seeking assistance.
The national affordable housing agreement provides the primary source of commonwealth funding to enable the delivery of homelessness support services in all jurisdictions, and the ACT is no different. The ACT government directs over $4 million every year to services which directly support women and children experiencing domestic and family violence.
This includes funding to six specialist domestic and family violence services which provide crisis and transitional accommodation as well as outreach support. Outreach support focuses on ensuring client safety and addressing the impacts of domestic and family violence by providing crisis support and court advocacy, crisis intervention visits, information and personal support, case management and domestic violence counselling services.
The national partnership agreement on housing has provided, and continues to provide, critical additional funding for people who are homeless or who are at risk of homelessness at any one time. The current agreement expires on 30 June 2017 and
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