BY JESSICA ROUSE
Family and Community Services Minister Brad Hazzard has called for
an urgent review into emergency accommodation in the Hunter for victims of
domestic violence.
Hazzard said he is extremely concerned that the department has
allowed female victims of domestic violence to be placed in hotels that
also accommodate former male inmates.
The call for an urgent review comes after incidents surrounding
the safety of women in Hunter accommodation facilities. In March a woman felt
safer sleeping in her own car rather than in a NSW Domestic Violence
Line-referred room at the Silk Hotel in Newcastle.
Marli Accommodation Services say they carry out risk assessments
of men with criminal histories, but privacy legislation stops them learning if
a man's background includes violent crimes.
Co-founder of Marli Accommodation Elizabeth Berger agrees more
needs to be done to ensure the safety of victims in accommodation facilities.
Maitland MP and shadow minister for the prevention of domestic
violence and sexual assault, Jenny Aitchison, says in 2014
the government combined funding for general homelessness and
domestic violence services, clearly not thinking through the ramifications.
