Domestic Violence Service Providers Tell Government: Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is

Labor calls for a crisis summit, but community services say what they need is urgent funding to protect victims of abuse right now.

Queensland woke up last Friday morning to a horrific online frontpage, awash with stories of women murdered or violently assaulted.

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Over the space of four days, Gold Coast women Tara Brown and Karina Lock were killed by their partners, a six-year old girl was allegedly murdered by her father in Brisbane and another woman survived a machete attack.

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24-year-old mother Tara Brown died in hospital after she was allegedly bashed with a metal plate by a former partner. A week earlier, she had gone to police seeking protection from him, and was turned away.

The estranged husband of mother-of-four Karina Lock followed her into a Macdonald's and shot her in the head before turning the gun on himself.

A man has been charged over the alleged murder of his daughter and the attempted murder of another daughter.

There was an immediate outpouring of shock and grief from the community. A fundraising page for the family of Tara Brown has made over $40,000.

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The government has often declared that tackling the scourge of domestic violence in Australia is a priority.

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In March, then-prime minister Tony Abbott described domestic violence as a "tragic and deadly epidemic".

The government has announced an advisory panel on violence against women, there is a national action plan, a report from a Senate inquiry, an awareness campaign and an agreement to take urgent collective action from the Council of Australian Governments (COAG).

Federal opposition leader Bill Shorten has sent a letter to new prime minister Malcolm Turnbull, urging him to host a national crisis summit on family violence.

Bill Shorten @billshortenmp

Labor has written to the new PM @TurnbullMalcolm seeking his support for a National Crisis Summit on family violence

01:59 AM - 16 Sep 2015

But those people working on the ground say the talk isn't being matched with the funding they need to keep women safe. What they need is money, and they need it now.

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"The federal government is failing the domestic violence test," executive director of independent campaigning organisation Fair Agenda, Renee Carr told BuzzFeed News.

"The horrifying reality is that this year thousands of women will be left without the support they need to escape domestic violence as a result of the federal government's decisions not to fully fund services," she said.

"Any government claiming to take this issue seriously needs to put its money where its mouth is. The federal government isn't."

This year's budget was criticised for the underwhelming amount of funding put aside for domestic violence initiatives.

The only new funding, $16 million for an awareness campaign, had already been announced. The two other items were short-term extensions of funding for existing programs. On top of that, changes were made to the way the Department of Social Services handed out grants to community service providers, which effectively reduced funding by $240 million over four years.

Since then, the only additional funding announced by the federal government has been a much needed $4 million over two years for the national family violence and sexual assault counselling service, 1800 RESPECT. According to Fair Agenda's What Will It Take report, 18,631 calls to the hotline went unanswered last year.

Campaigners say awareness campaigns are important, but increased awareness about domestic violence is undermined by the fact that victims are being turned away when they come for help.

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"When a woman takes the brave step of trying to escape an abuser, she is in increased danger. And right now the government's decision not to make domestic violence services a funding priority mean women affected by domestic violence aren't getting the support they need," Carr says.

According to the What Will It Take report, 2,800 women fleeing domestic violence are turned away from emergency services such as women's refuges every year. Community legal centres, providing legal advice and assistance to women, have to turn away 150,000 people across the country every year. in 2013/14. Family violence prevention and legal services need $28 million extra just to meet demand.

Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is one political leader who has reacted swiftly, fast-tracking legislation to increase penalties for breaching domestic violence orders and pledging an extra $1.2 million for victim support service DV Connect.

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In a news conference with the premier, DV Connect's Di Mangan said calls to the service had doubled in the past week. She said the increased media attention meant many women who called were fearful that the same thing would happen to them.

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Prime minister Turnbull hasn't yet responded to Labor's request for a crisis summit. But frontline service providers say they know what they need - ongoing funding for services that support women to escape abusive relationships.

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"Despite all the talking by the federal government about their commitment to stopping domestic violence, they still aren't providing the funding that's necessary to do that," Carr observes.

It's an especially frustrating situation, given that it is so rare that both sides of politics, on a state and federal level, are in furious agreement on the issue. They all agree: The statistics are shocking. Domestic violence is unacceptable. More needs to be done.

Service providers and political leaders are waiting for Turnbull to make an announcement on the issue, but right now there are thousands of Australian women living in fear, just waiting for someone to pick up the phone.

If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault, domestic or family violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit 1800RESPECT.org.au. In an emergency, call 000. For more information about a service in your state or local area download the DAISY App in the App Store or Google Play.

For anonymous and confidential telephone counselling on how to stop using violent and controlling behaviour call the Men's Referral Service on 1300 766 491.