Today, marks National Domestic Violence Remembrance Day, a day to honour and remember the women and children who have lost their lives to domestic violence.
Sadly, in 2023, the statistics around domestic violence in Australia are still disturbing.
According to recent estimates, violence against women and their children costs the Australian economy a staggering $26 billion each year.
Last year alone, there were 33,410 reports of domestic violence-related assault in New South Wales, with 11 murders of women and children. Over the last decade, there have been a total of 207 murders of women and children in NSW.
This level of violence against women and children is disgusting and it’s important that we as a community take action to support victims and survivors of domestic violence.
“Domestic and family violence has plagued our nation for long enough and our government is determined to end this blight on our society,” Member for Charlestown, and Minister for Women and the Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, Jodie Harrison said.
“As we mourn those who have lost their lives due to violence, I stand in solidarity with our victim-survivors and families who grieve loved ones in the hope that one day, no woman or child will ever need to live with domestic and family violence.”
Today, it’s also important to note that domestic violence is not just a statistic, but a lived experience for many Australians.
It’s estimated that around one in four Australian women have experienced some form of violence committed by an intimate partner since the age of 15.
The New South Wales government say they are taking decisive action to combat domestic and sexual assault in the state.
“We want to prevent domestic violence and support victim-survivors, and we urge anyone who needs help to call the 24-hour support line so that we can get you the help you need,” Ms Harrison said.
“We are all entitled to live a life free of violence. No one should have to endure the trauma of intimate partner or family violence; we have support services that can help.”
To achieve this, the government is increasing funding to key community service providers, including Domestic support services. These services will now have longer-term five-year funding arrangements, ensuring they can offer support to women and children affected by domestic violence in the long term.
In addition to funding support services, the government is establishing a new specialist multicultural domestic and family violence centre in South Western Sydney, which will provide culturally appropriate responses to domestic violence. This initiative will increase accessibility to services and safety for migrant and refugee women, ensuring they receive the support they need to escape violent situations. The government is also doubling the funding of Women’s Health Centres where 80% of patients have experienced domestic or family abuse. Finally, the government is investing in an expansion of Lifeline’s services with an additional commitment of $8.2 million over 5 years to increase text and webchat services. This will offer better support to women in domestic abuse circumstances who are unable to reach out over the phone.
Today, and over the coming weeks, candlelight vigils to mark National Domestic Violence Remembrance Day will be held across the country in memoriam and to help bring light to this national crisis including one at Newcastle’s Pacific Park on Thursday, 18 May. You can find out more about the local vigil here.
