FRONTLINE workers in family welfare, drugs and alcohol and the police force sat down this week for open discussions on how to best approach this region’s issues in domestic violence.
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The Ballarat Community Health-led initiative, in partnership with the Victorian Drug and Alcohol Association, was a rare chance for a cross-sector understanding of what was happening across the Grampians.
The forum comes less than a week after the Victorian government budget failed to make clear how $572 million would be distributed to overhaul Victoria’s family violence system and help regional and rural centres tackle domestic abuse.
Urgent reform and funding allocation was made in light of the Family Violence Royal Commission This includes the locations of 17 one-stop “safety hub” support services across the state. The state investment is a down-payment on a ten-year plan to reduce family violence.
BCH acting chief executive officer Jane Measday said the forum encouraged agencies to consider how to best work together in a multi-layered approach.
“As a community health centre, we are here to best serve the needs and wants of the people we are here to serve – we want to better understand the best pathways for referral,” Ms Measday said.
“Every case is different. Family violence does not discriminate – it can affect individuals and families across the whole community.”
Ms Measday said gender inequality in society had to change – right down to inappropriate sexist jibes in workplaces and about community clubs. Alcohol, she said, was also identified as a key factor in many family violence cases when misuse of alcohol sparked violence to escalate. This was why alcohol and drug programs needed to be involved and understood in such a forum.
“The more we can talk about family violence, the more we can find a way to help and break it down,” Ms Measday said.
National Domestic Violence Remembrance Day was on Wednesday. At least 29 women Australia-wide have been killed so far this year by violent partners. Last year 79 women died.