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The Federal Government has recently announced a $1.1-billion relief package for victims of partner violence. However, considering the extended corona virus lock-down period, has the Government allocated enough money for all the areas of support?
Prime Minister, Scott Morrison acknowledged during a press conference, for some Australians “home isn’t the safest place.”
“We are focused on saving lives and saving livelihoods and this support package will provide much needed care and help to so many Australians who are facing hardship at no fault of their own. We will get through this crisis by staying together, by supporting each other and ensuring that no Australian, even though we are isolated, should not have to go through this alone,” Prime Minister Morrison said.
This is a much-needed legal support package for domestic violence victims. Rita Butera, CEO of Victorian Family Violence Crisis Centre, Safe Steps provided evidence which showed family violence incidents increase during times of disaster. This is consistent with the United States experience during, the wake of 2017’s Hurricane Harvey. Texas Council on Family Violence found as the storm crisis developed, domestic-violence response organisations received more calls in a week than would normally occur during an average month.
However, there is clearly a lack of appreciation by the Federal Government of the extent and depth of the crisis and the means of dealing with the problem it in a cost-effective way.
The Morrison Government’s support funding has limited capacity for counselling victims of domestic violence.
CEO of Women’s Safety NSW, Haley Foster told the ABC there isn’t even enough funding to support basic administrative duties. “A $3,000 package per worker would allow us to set them up with a phone, a desk and printing equipment. These are practical costs our services need, so we're looking for Government commitment.”
Ms Foster continued to describe the huge task. “It's going to be massive, there's no two ways about it. We're already seeing the start of it, but it's only going to get worse.”
Silke Meyer, Associate Professor of Gender and Family Violence Prevention and Senior Lecturer Kate Fitz-Gibbon explained services such as the Men’s Referral Service, which counsels men who have perpetrated domestic violence, has not received any of the proposed Government funding. They are relying on funding available only in three states; Victoria, NSW and Tasmania.
This shortfall is concerning. A report from the Brisbane Times has shown, since the COVID outbreak, the Men’s Referral Service has experienced a 94 per cent increase in client numbers and a 20 per cent increase in time per call. Other services like the Court Network system in Victoria, which helps victims of DV, are having their funding cut due to funding disputes with the Federal Government.
QUT domestic violence researcher Amanda Gearing proposed to The Conversation, a possible cost-effective way of dealing with a lack of accommodation for domestic violence victims during the COVID 19 period.
“For people who own a second home that is standing empty to make the house available, with subsidised rent, for emergency safe houses.
“This is a difficult period of time to figure out a right way of dealing with the rise of domestic violence in a pandemic which has decimated the Australian economy. However, spending too much money on one aspect of the problem while leaving another side completely deserted is not an effective strategy,” Amanda said.
Amanda’s idea may sound outlandish. However, in the past few weeks, Governments have already implemented schemes which would previously have been considered impossible, for example housing homeless people in hotels. Last year the Government was adamant that Job Seeker Allowance would not increase. Job Seeker has now been doubled along with the introduction of a Job Keeper allowance, which has some of the features of a Social Wage previously considered ridiculous by the Morrison Government. However now it is a reality.
During this pandemic, there has been a priority for vulnerable members of the Australian society over the welfare of the economy. The Federal Government has found funding for the vulnerable homeless, the unemployed and the elderly. However, this generosity has not yet been extended to victims of domestic violence.