Domestic Violence

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI (15:10): My question is to the Minister for Human Services regarding survivors of domestic violence. Can the minister please inform the council on how the Marshall Liberal government is providing extra support to survivors of domestic violence and their children to secure safe long-term housing?

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK (Minister for Human Services) (15:10): I thank the honourable member for her question. I am delighted that one of the services that the state government has been able to provide is safe and well housing, safe homes for women and children fleeing domestic violence. This particular program, Safe and Secure Housing (SASH), has been developed to provide case management and support in crisis accommodation—which is hotel/motel clients, our emergency assistance program—to help people in that situation to transition from insecure housing to secure housing in the private rental market, community housing or the public housing system, where that is feasible to do so.

The program has been funded for 12 months from 1 July last year until June this year and became operational on 1 August last year. It's delivered by Neami and provides the following: information services and engagement and risk management; diversion of victim survivors of DV away from crisis accommodation, where that's appropriate; improvement in the capacity of specialist responses to DV and homelessness services for women and children who are at risk; and greater stability and autonomy for victim survivors of DFV.

We know that a lot of people do experience domestic and family violence, and we have a suite of services which aim to address people's needs at the point at which they are experiencing domestic and family violence, depending on where they are on that journey. We are very keen into the future to ensure that we are pushing services upstream so that, before people are getting into crisis situations, they are able to receive support so that they can escape that situation, if that is what their wish is, or through some of our perpetrator beds, where the family remains at home and the perpetrator leaves.

The data that we have received from the frontline is that we have provided services to 112 households, I understand. That's referrals so that would be households, I am assuming, rather than number of clients. That has assisted people into a range of different exit points to ensure that they are escaping from that particular situation.