Yarrow Place

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS (17:06): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for the Status of Women questions on the topic of waiting times for rape and sexual assault counselling at Yarrow Place.

Leave granted.

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS: In February, the YWCA brought to the fore information that women are waiting six to eight weeks to access the counselling services of Yarrow Place if their sexual assault took place more than seven days prior to their making contact with that service. In response, the Minister for Health informed The Advertiser that he would look at ways in which we can reduce those waiting times but did not commit to additional funding for extra counsellors, as was called for by the YWCA. My questions are:

1. Has the minister made any response to the YWCA regarding these concerns?

2. What services can be accessed by women who have experienced rape or sexual assault more than seven days ago, and has the minister advocated for increased funding for Yarrow Place in the current budget round?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Employment, Higher Education and Skills, Minister for Science and Information Economy, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Business Services and Consumers) (17:07): To the best of my knowledge, I am not aware of that particular statistic the honourable member has provided to the chamber. I would be very pleased to look into those details and work with the Minister for Health to address improving our services wherever we possibly can.