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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2024-03-20 Daily Xml
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Victim Support Service

The Hon. J.E. HANSON (14:52): My question is to the Attorney-General. Will the minister inform the council about the new General Manager of Victim Support Service?

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Attorney, answer the question. I didn't hear it.

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector) (14:52): I thank the honourable member for asking a question about the organisation Victim Support Service, more commonly known as VSS. I would be more than delighted and thank the member for the opportunity to inform the chamber about a new era for VSS.

I am pleased to announce the recent appointment of a new General Manager of Victim Support Service, Mr Michael Chant, who started his role only on 18 March this week. Mr Chant's appointment takes on the role of his predecessor, Ms Sarah Scammell, who occupied the role for a number of years, having made significant contributions to the service's outstanding delivery to victims of crime in South Australia.

Ms Scammell leaves VSS with a strong legacy of effective, victim-centred leadership, further building on the many successful victim support services that VSS delivers. I would like to take this opportunity particularly to acknowledge and thank Ms Sarah Scammell for all her work during her time as general manager and wish her all the best for the future.

With a wealth of experience in leadership and a passion for helping to empower others, I look forward to Mr Chant's continuation of Ms Scammell's valuable leadership and leading the many services that VSS continues to deliver. Upon winning the position, Michael Chant said, and I quote:

I'm honoured to join such an important organisation and endeavour to put my heart and soul into steering it towards an even more fruitful future to truly help victim-survivors of crime and abuse in South Australia.

Mr Chant is an enthusiastic and accomplished CEO bringing over 30 years of experience in leadership development, particularly in the corporate world, to the VSS team. His experience spans charity, education and social services where he honed his skills in leadership, strategic planning and governance.

Having been in operation for more than 40 years, Victim Support Service South Australia is an expert service, assisting victims of crime to navigate South Australia's judicial system, in providing tailored support to survivors in areas such as institutional childhood abuse, by offering trauma-informed therapeutic and practical services. Included amongst the significant work the service has undertaken in this past year are:

establishing a VSS Consultative Committee within the existing volunteers program;

a student placement program;

a thriving Court Companions program;

a newly founded Safer Spaces program providing confidential telephone support to victims; and

diversification across the state achieved largely through the introduction of a self-sustaining model, including fee-for-service corporate training.

VSS is currently funded by the Attorney-General's Department, which this current government reinstated after the funding was dramatically decreased by the former Liberal government. These critical reinstated funds have gone towards VSS's delivery, particularly of the Court Companions program and the Safer Spaces program.

I wish to thank Ms Scammell for her services to victims in South Australia and look forward to Mr Chant's contribution.

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