Women and DV in focus as NSW poll nears
Duncan Murray |
Women voters are in focus ahead of the NSW state election, with the major parties promising to spend millions more on domestic violence and health services.
The coalition pledge of $20 million to fit more high-risk domestic abusers with ankle bracelets received in-principle backing from Opposition Leader Chris Minns.
Mr Minns said it was time to put politics aside and go with what worked to tackle tragically high rates of women being killed in domestic violence incidents.
“I think it’s a good initiative, and I’d like to throw our support behind it,” Mr Minns said of the government’s plan.
“We regard one life lost as a result of domestic violence as one life too many so it’s time governments and political leaders come together, put politics to one side and focus on what works.”
It came as Labor delivered its own election promise to double funding to $100 million for 20 at-risk women’s health centres, which cater largely to women who have experienced some form of domestic and family violence.
A further 200 electronic monitoring devices would be available under the coalition’s plan, which Premier Dominic Perrottet said would offer an extra layer of protection for domestic violence victims and their families.
“Victim-survivors and their families deserve to be able to go about their daily lives knowing there are significant protections in place to keep them safe from people who have harmed them in the past,” Mr Perrottet said.
There are already 60 devices in use under NSW’s existing Domestic Violence Electronic Monitoring program, which applies to offenders released on parole or sentenced to an Intensive Corrections Order.
The program was introduced in 2017 and sees eligible high-risk offenders fitted with an ankle bracelet which monitors their location at all times.
If they enter an area deemed an exclusion zone, such as a suburb where a potential victim resides, police are notified.
Domestic Violence NSW chief executive Delia Donovan said the government should also be funding early interventions to stop domestic violence crimes before they take place.
“Electronic tagging aims to enhance security for victim survivors which is vitally important but cannot be done in isolation without serious investment into prevention and education campaigns to stop the violence before it starts,” Ms Donovan said.
If Labor wins the election it will spend an additional $50 million over five years on the Women’s Health Centre Program which it claims is chronically underfunded and at risk of centres closing.
About 80 per cent of women who use the health centres have experienced domestic and family violence, 70 per cent are low-income earners and 10 per cent identify as Indigenous women, according to Labor.
Denele Crozier, chief executive of Women’s Health NSW, which operates the centres, welcomed the additional funding, saying it was good news for everyone.
“Women play a crucial role in our society so this is actually an announcement for men and children as well as for women,” Ms Crozier said.
“When mum’s well, the kids are well, dad’s well, families are well.”
Primarily located in Western Sydney and regional NSW, the centres provide women with access to physical and mental health services, as well as domestic, family and sexual violence support.
According to Labor, every dollar invested saved $1.71 in hospital and primary health costs, by diverting pressure from emergency departments and other mainstream health services.
AAP
