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Legislative Council - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2008-09-24 Daily Xml
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SAFE AT HOME PROGRAM

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (15:19): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for the Status of Women a question on women's safety initiatives.

Leave granted.

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: I am very pleased that the government continues to take seriously the issue of women's safety, as evidenced by the Women's Safety Strategy and recent changes to other legislation dealing with assault. Will the minister update the council about the government's programs and ongoing commitment to the safety of women?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for State/Local Government Relations, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Consumer Affairs, Minister for Government Enterprises, Minister Assisting the Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Energy) (15:20): I thank the member for his important question. Violence against women still remains a problem in many communities. Women still suffer from relationships which destroy their lives. Violence continues to cause physical and mental anguish in the homes of many women. As Minister for the Status of Women, I am sure all members in this chamber join me in finding this completely unacceptable. I am certainly committed to tackling this issue in South Australia.

As part of the government's Women's Safety Strategy, we are currently undergoing a thorough review of South Australia's domestic violence legislation. This follows our important rape and sexual assault reforms passed on 9 April 2008 emphasising this government's dedication to improving women's safety. The research and consultation phase of the domestic violence legislation we are currently in allows us to review and consider the achievements of our peers interstate, some of whom have made positive inroads into keeping women safer.

As part of our review of legislation, the Safe at Home forum was held at the Stamford Plaza on Monday 18 August 2008. The forum was held to showcase the Safe at Home program, which is the Tasmanian government's response to family violence. Its focus is on providing a highly coordinated and integrated service response to the needs of victims. The Safe at Home program is an outcome of the Tasmanian Family Violence Act 2004. The act represents a two-pronged criminal justice response, both with protection orders and the criminalising of family violence.

The legislation provides police with a considerable extension of their detention without charge powers. A key feature of the Safe at Home model is that it allows families to stay within the home while perpetrators of domestic violence are, in fact, removed. The Safe at Home public session was very successful, with over 160 attendees from a cross-section of women in community services and all key stakeholders in women's safety in South Australia.

The afternoon session was aimed at identifying key people involved in progressing the women's safety agenda in South Australia. This forum provided an important opportunity to identify ways to reform the whole-of-government response to family violence in South Australia. The key outcome of the afternoon session was the convening of a steering committee that will report to me, as chair of the Women's Safety Strategy whole-of-government reference group, to consider future strategies to provide integrated response to domestic violence in South Australia.

This builds on the foundation already provided through the trials of the Family Safety Framework, which are an example of this government's commitment to making fundamental changes to the way in which we deal with the issue of family safety. The Family Safety Framework seeks to ensure that the services to families most at risk of violence are dealt with in a more structured, systemic and systematic way. It achieves this through agencies sharing information about high-risk families and taking responsibility for supporting them to navigate the sometimes very complex and confusing service system.

Trials of the Family Safety Framework have been implemented in three regions across South Australia (the Holden Hill, Noarlunga and Port Augusta policing boundaries), and I look forward to receiving the evaluation report on this strategy. I am also pleased to advise that the budget in June saw a commitment of $868,000 over four years to drive community awareness and promote positive and respectful relationships.

The Women's Safety Strategy community awareness campaign will utilise the South Australian government law reform agenda as a catalyst to achieving attitudinal change across the South Australian community. This government takes very seriously the issue of domestic and family violence in South Australia. Through a thorough review of legislation, an integrated service response and campaigns promoting positive change, we can help reduce the level of violence being inflicted upon women and children in this state once and for all.

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