Stephen Jones (Whitlam, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Earlier this week the member for Cunningham and I had an important meeting with representatives of the Prime Minister's office and representatives of Minister Ruston. I want to thank the Prime Minister and the minister for the positive engagement we had with them. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the urgent need for domestic violence services for women and families fleeing domestic violence circumstances and recovering from domestic violence in the Illawarra and South Coast. I want to give a special mention to Sally Stevenson, Trish Cullen, Dr Karen Williams and Judy Daunt, who attended the meeting to put the case for piloting a world-first specialist trauma recovery service in the Illawarra, with a view to extending such a service to other areas throughout the country.

We know that we don't have enough domestic violence crisis services. We know that women and children fleeing a domestic violence situation are often confronted with a combination of crises: the immediate crises of the violence they're fleeing, financial crises, regularly homelessness, and regularly problems at work and in the workplace. One of the things that often lead them to stay in, or return to, the place of trauma is the fact that those crisis services aren't there. I think it's a fantastic leap forward that there has been a focus in this place and in other parliaments around the country on the need for these crisis services, as well, of course, on stamping out the cause of domestic violence in the first place.

One of the things that have been drawn home to me by my engagement with the organisations that have come together in the consortium in the Illawarra is that it's not just the crisis services where there is a shortage; there are absolutely no services available for women and their children to deal with the ongoing trauma associated with domestic violence. The example that was given by Dr Karen Williams in the meeting with the Prime Minister's office really brought it home to me. She is a practising psychologist who's been dealing with and specialising in trauma and trauma recovery for many, many years and is acknowledged throughout the country for her expertise. She gave the example that, for many years now, we have recognised the impact of trauma on our defence forces and our frontline police and emergency services workers, whether they be paramedics or workers in other services. It's acknowledged that this has a long-term physical, physiological and psychological impact, and there are wraparound services available to them. But, for sufferers of domestic violence, it's just not acknowledged. Services are needed, and we're calling on the government to ensure we can fund those. (Time expired)