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Domestic violence victim-survivors will have more vital help available during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the NSW and Federal Governments today investing more than $21 million to boost frontline services and other supports.
The investment comprises $12.8 million from the NSW Government and $8.8 million from the Commonwealth Government.
NSW Attorney General and Minister for the Prevention of Domestic Violence Mark Speakman said the pandemic has potentially increased the risk of abuse in already violent homes.
“Strict health orders in recent weeks have told people to stay home to help slow the spread of COVID-19. But domestic violence victims don’t have a safe home to begin with, so more have sought assistance and are presenting with more complex needs,” Mr Speakman said.
“Today’s package responds to a range of issues raised with the Government to help protect women and children and ultimately to save lives.”
Federal Minister for Families and Social Services Anne Ruston said the Australian Government moved quickly to commit $150 million to support states and territories and ensure services had the capacity to manage the fallout of the pandemic.
“Programs that provide safer housing, emergency accommodation, counselling, crisis support, helpline support, behaviour change programs and interventions, as well as responding to challenges in rural and remote locations are the priority,” Minister Ruston said.
“We are working closely with all states and territories to identify funding priorities and to find the best way forward to improve support for those at-risk of violence.”
NSW Minister for Women Bronnie Taylor said every person has the right to live a life free from violence and these funds will benefit all victims seeking support.
“This investment will help highly vulnerable people right across NSW, particularly Aboriginal, multicultural and regional and remote women, who face extra barriers when they take the courageous step of reporting their abuse,” Mrs Taylor said.
Helen Silvia, Chairperson of Domestic Violence NSW (DVNSW) the state’s peak body for specialist domestic violence services, welcomed the Government’s funding and said it would help support victim-survivors during the pandemic and recovery period.
“Our members have reported increased complexity working with women experiencing domestic violence, while our workforce and services are also facing more pressures due to COVID-19, so these funds will certainly help to alleviate that,” Ms Silvia said.
Today’s announcement will deliver the following additional supports:
Frontline support services

• Funding for frontline specialist domestic violence services to respond to increasing demand and complexity of cases;
• A boost for the 24/7 NSW Domestic Violence Line that provides crisis counselling and support referrals;
• Increasing staff at Legal Aid’s NSW Domestic Violence hotline, while bolstering legal information available online;
• More service capacity at the State’s Women’s Domestic Violence Court Advocacy Services; and
• Resources for targeted responses to especially vulnerable groups like Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, people with disability, multicultural communities, LGBTIQ communities and women living in rural and remote areas.

Escaping violent homes

• Access to more funding for the State’s 84 women’s refuges for additional staff, more training, and basic supports like food vouchers or safe phones for victims;
• Funding to allow companion animals to be accommodated in women’s refuges or animal shelters so women can leave violent homes without worrying their pet will be harmed; and
• A six-month ‘pop-up’ safe house in the Manly area to give highly vulnerable women and their children temporary and emergency accommodation.

Staying safe at home

• More duress alarm devices for victims to access if they’re remaining in their home as part of the Staying Home Leaving Violence (SHLV) program;
• Improved access to services for SHLV clients; and
• Temporary accommodation for perpetrators if they’re removed from a property by police and have nowhere else to stay (or based on protection orders) so that victims can remain safely at home.

Holding perpetrators to account

• A boost in funding for men’s behaviour change programs to respond to heightened demand while adjusting their service delivery to work remotely, if required;
• More support for No To Violence to expand their training and support for frontline staff who deliver perpetrator programs across NSW; and
• Funding for an app that helps perpetrators understand and therefore comply with Apprehended Domestic Violence Orders (ADVOs).

Raising awareness

• Extension of Toolbox Talks – a program that educates and empowers thousands of workers in the construction and mining industries to identify and report abuse; and
• A digital campaign to support victims and encourage the community to report domestic violence.

Thousands of passengers are set to benefit from a new Customer Management Team to help keep people safe on the Sydney Trains network.
Minister for Transport and Roads Andrew Constance today joined Transport Secretary Rodd Staples and Sydney Trains Chief Customer Officer Suzanne Holden at the new Rail Operations Centre to launch the latest initiative as part of the NSW Government’s COVIDSafe Transport Plan.
“This dedicated team of 80 people will be the ‘eyes and ears’ of the Sydney Trains network. Every day teams will monitor 11,000 CCTV cameras and utilise new real time app technology to monitor patronage numbers and help facilitate physical distancing across the rail network,” Mr Constance said.
“We are trying to save lives. We are trying to avoid an outbreak, the likes of which we have seen overseas where social distancing was not maintained on large public transport systems.”
Transport Secretary Rodd Staples said this is the latest in a raft of measures.
“Last week we launched the ‘No Dot, No Spot’ campaign to help customers physically distance and there has been an extra 132,000 hours of cleaning since March, with regular deep cleans and hand sanitiser units being rolled at 163 staffed stations,” Mr Staples said.
“Our customers trust us to keep them safe, and that’s something we do not take lightly,” Ms Holden said.
“I could not be more proud to lead a team of people who have spent long hours innovating and finding solutions to transport problems we have never experienced in our lifetimes. New features we have created for loading data technology and this new pilot program is setting the standard for the rest of the country.”

A multimedia campaign launched today will target hate and xenophobia including online abuse and in the community during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Attorney General Mark Speakman said there were alarming reports the pandemic is fuelling racist abuse towards some members of the community.
“Stopping the spread of COVID-19 has required every member of the community to make enormous sacrifices. But the challenges we’ve faced are never an excuse for racism, scapegoating or scaremongering,” Mr Speakman said.
“We need to work together to combat abusive and violent behaviour that discriminates against cultural or religious groups as well as other sections of our community.”
The Stop Public Threats campaign will help victim-survivors and the community understand their legal rights, and ensure that threats of violence are reported to police for investigation.
Acting Minister for Multiculturalism Geoff Lee said the campaign is a valuable resource for diverse communities across NSW.
“Racial abuse and racial vilification in all their ugly forms are never acceptable and go against everything we stand for in NSW. No member of our community should ever feel attacked due to their cultural or religious background,” Mr Lee said.
“This campaign will empower diverse communities with information about how to respond to and report racially motivated incidents.”
The campaign includes a podcast, website, videos, posters and social media materials for legal professionals and the community to send a clear message that physical and verbal abuse is completely unacceptable.
It builds on the NSW Government’s introduction of tough penalties of up to three years’ imprisonment for anyone that publicly incites violence against someone on the grounds of race, religion, sexual orientation, gender, intersex or HIV/AIDS status.
Minister for Counter Terrorism Anthony Roberts said the campaign reinforces the need to stand firm against any form of racism or discrimination.
“Our response to the pandemic and the worst bushfire season on record in NSW earlier this year demonstrates our community’s incredible resilience,” Mr Roberts said.
“There is a small number of individuals with extreme and violent views who want to divide us. We need to reject this behaviour and protect the rights of all NSW residents.”
Keep NSW Safe – a coalition of over 30 religious and cultural groups and high-profile individuals – successfully advocated for the NSW Government to make incitement to violence a crime.
Its spokesperson and the CEO of the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies Vic Alhadeff welcomed the campaign and said it was an excellent opportunity to educate the community.
“One of the critical issues we see is that a lot of people do not understand their legal rights, so this will address misconceptions and encourage people to come forward and report crimes,” Mr Alhadeff said.
To report public threats of violence call the Police Assistance Line on 131 444.  In an emergency always contact Triple Zero (000). For more information on the “Stop Public Threats” campaign go to: stoppublicthreats.legalaid.nsw.gov.au/.