Community
25 February, 2022
Trial to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women escaping violence
The Morrison Government is establishing a place-based trial of the Escaping Violence Payment in Cairns, to provide specialised support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander victim-survivors to establish a life free of violence.
Minister for Women’s Safety Anne Ruston visited Cairns to announce the $6 million investment in the trial that an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led organisation would deliver to ensure a culturally safe and sensitive service.
The place-based trial will align with the national Escaping Violence Payment trial delivered by the Uniting Care Network and offers victim-survivors up to $5,000 of financial support.
Minister Ruston said this was an effort of the First Nation’s women who voiced their needs regarding domestic violence.
“We’ve been working with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Committee so that we can announce today the $6 million investment to make sure that we understand the challenges that Australia’s Indigenous women and children face,” Minister Ruston said.
“We want to make sure that we’re ending violence in their community in a way that is appropriate and culturally sensitive to their needs.
“Currently, about 24% of clients through the national Escaping Violence Payment clients identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander and this placebased trial will build on these high levels of engagement and offer more targeted support.”
“We’re working to make sure this trial can provide us with information that we need to make sure that the programs put in place are appropriate.”
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Council interim chair Sandra Creamer said the initiative to establish a dedicated Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander place-based trial in Cairns was a major step forward.
“The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Council have worked together with Minister Ruston to identify the importance of the many issues our women are experiencing when escaping domestic and family violence,” she said.
“This funding will help address financial issues to support and empower the women to create a safe, supportive environment for themselves and their children.”
Minister Ruston said that a critical element in assisting First Nation women leaving an environment of domestic violence was accommodation.
“Making sure they have accommodation, a safe place to go while they resettle their lives so that they can move on,” she said.
“We’ve been delighted previously with the support in Cairns of Access Housing to make sure that we’re supporting the community.”
Access Community Housing CEO Liz Brown said they are delighted to be a part of this process.
“We’re grateful to gain a grant under the Safe Places Emergency Accommodation funding program,” Ms Brown said.
“We’re currently in the planning stage for building four three-bedroom homes for women and children escaping violence in the Cairns region. “And we’re working closely with our support service partners to be able to support those women and children. “We’ll be looking to house them for periods of up to 24 months to allow them time to look at the next stage in their lives.”
Federal Member for Leichhardt Warren Entsch said having Cairns as the trial site would ensure that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander victim-survivors in the region had access to culturally-appropriate support.
“We know that financial hardship as well as economic abuse, which may involve interfering with work or controlling or withholding money, reduces a victim-survivor’s ability to access money, impacting on their ability to leave a violent relationship,” Mr Entsch said.
“The Escaping Violence Payment is providing victim-survivors more security when making that decision to leave any form of intimate partner violence.”
Victim-survivors in the Cairns region, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and men, will also continue to access the national Escaping Violence Payment delivered by the UnitingCare Network as an alternative to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-specific trial.
For more information, visit, https://bit.ly/3vikSch
If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault, domestic or family violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visitwww.1800RESPECT.org.au
