Domestic Violence

The Hon. J.S. LEE (15:18): My question is to the Minister for Human Services regarding domestic violence. Can the minister provide an update to the council on how the Marshall Liberal government is supporting Aboriginal women, their children and partners to safely return to their communities?

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK (Minister for Human Services) (15:18): I thank the honourable member for her question. Indeed, we have provided a very specific program to assist women and children who want to return safely to their community through Baptist Care, which is called the Safe Journeys program. It's supporting Aboriginal women and children who have experienced or are at risk of domestic and family violence and homelessness to access Aboriginal-specific case management support to return to country or to move into safe accommodation in metropolitan Adelaide.

The program connects Aboriginal women and their children to accommodation and vital support services including family violence counselling, health and mental health services and wellbeing supports for children.

Aboriginal-specific case managers work with women to understand ways to engage and to remove barriers that prevent women returning to live safely in their own communities. The program will also work with women who wish to return to country to Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara, Northern Territory and Western Australia.

The clients who we have supported so far—my advice as of last week was that from the Northern Territory it was approximately 42 per cent; APY, 33 per cent; Western Australia, 9 per cent; Eyre and Western, 9 per cent; and other regional locations, 8 per cent. There have been some 85 clients, 55 of whom are women, 21 children and nine men; 71 were safely returned to home country. This is in addition to our program which is operating in the Parklands, which has a similar goal to return people to country and to connect them to services where they require them.