‘I don’t care who gives the money’: Rejoice as family violence reform on cards
WA Labor is promising to make it easier for people to obtain family violence restraining orders, in a move welcomed by the sector but criticised by the opposition for not being enough to address the problem.
West Australians will head to the polls in March, but both the Liberals and Labor have already made significant promises in an effort to tackle domestic violence.
Premier Roger Cook on Tuesday pledged $38.6 million on a package to expand capacity at refuges and make changes to family violence restraining orders (FVRO).
“We will make it easier for victim survivors to obtain lifetime family violence restraining orders,” the premier said.
Every year, thousands of victim-survivors turn to the courts for FVRO’s.
WA Premier Roger Cook and Prevention of Family and Domestic Violence Minister Sabine Winton make the announcement on Tuesday. (ABC News: Rhiannon Shine)
Under Labor’s plan, the number of offences that could attract lifetime restraining orders would be expanded, and courts would be required to consider imposing one without the victim-survivor having to seek one.
“The victim won’t have to be present, won’t have to engage a lawyer, or won’t have to stand up herself, for heaven’s sake, in front of the perpetrator and ask for a lifetime order,” outgoing Attorney General John Quigley said.
But Liberal leader Libby Mettam, whose party has already announced an $100 million policy to tackle family and domestic violence, said it was not enough.
“It is an eve of an election and the Cook Labor government are playing a desperate game of catch up,” she said.
“We need a full complement in our family and domestic violence unit within police, we need tougher bail laws and coercive control legislation which has only been talked about by the Cook Labor government but never delivered on.”
‘As long as they do it’
Mr Cook said if given a third term in government, his party would spend $27.1 million to build 18 new women’s refuge units in regional WA.
It would also allocate $11.5 million to bring a program which helps keep victim-survivors in their own homes to seven new locations.
Anglicare WA chief executive Mark Glasson said six units promised for Albany would help address a long-standing shortage of options for victim-survivors in town.
“The existing refuge in Albany has been at full capacity almost all the time, since the pandemic and probably before, so any investment in increasing the capacity of crisis services for women and children is really welcome,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Geraldton Salvation Army branch manager Tim Size said he was glad Labor was planning to build 12 refuge units in his town.
“You’ve got to find way to make it easier … because you don’t want them going back into situations that are dangerous.”
Tim Size spoke candidly about the DV situation in his town. (ABC News: Piper Duffy)
Mr Size said the local branch was often forced to turn away people in need of accommodation, and can only cater to clients who meet a strict criteria.
“We get people all the time asking for accommodation, and ours, you have to fit a criteria to really be in crisis,” he said.
“But you get a lot of people that don’t actually fit that, like mental health, and we can’t really cater for that.
“So anything that can bring people in and find accommodation for them, and the best way forward for them, is important.”
Mr Size said he was glad domestic violence had become an election topic.
“I don’t care who gives the money, as long as they do it,” he said.
More money needed
Centre for Women’s Safety and Wellbeing chief executive, Dr Alison Evans, said support services were severely overstretched and had been struggling with demand for a while.
DV awareness advocate Alison Evans has welcomed WA Labor’s election pledge. (ABC News: Keane Bourke)
But she said more needed to be done to support victim-survivors in the long-term, particularly as they navigate courts or restraining orders.
“That ongoing support for women and children is so critically important to ensure that there’s that ongoing safety planning as well because, as we know, when women and children actually need the person who’s causing them harm, that risk can really escalate,” Dr Evans said.
Ms Mettam claimed Western Australia was the most unsafe place for women in the country, pointing to rising rates of restraining order breaches.
Libby Mettam claimed the Cook government’s policies weren’t going to address the issues. (ABC News: David Weber)
“We need strong action when it comes to the protection of women and those who are impacted by family and domestic violence in Western Australia,” she said on Tuesday.
In September 2023, the WA Liberals announced it would fund an extra 300 GPS tracking bracelets to monitor serious offenders who deliberately breach a violence restraining orders.
The Liberals also said $2.5 million a year ($10 million over four years) for wrap-around services and preventative community education campaigns.
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