BY IAN CROUCH
Charleston MP and Minister for the Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, Jodie Harrison has joined Premier Chris Minns and Attorney General Michael Daley in announcing millions of dollars in funding to bolster domestic violence and prevention measures.
The $230m package will be spent over four years and follows an emergency meeting of state cabinet last week.
Key features of the package include $48m to expand the Staying Home Leaving Violence program across the state to help more women and children remain safe in their homes after leaving a violent relationship.
$45m has been set aside to improve bail laws and justice system responses to domestic violence. while a further $24m is going towards specialist DV support workers within the justice system.
$48m will be spent to secure staff and increase funding for workers who support children accompanying their mothers to refuges, along with $700,000 for the NSW Domestic Violence Line.
$38m will go towards establishing the state's first dedicated Primary Prevention Strategy. The strategy will be developed over the next three years and include a range of initiatives to address the drivers of domestic, family and sexual violence.
$8.1m will spent over 4 years for the 'All In' early childhood pilot, to prevent domestic violence by teaching young children about healthy relationships.
In addition, $5m will go towards workforce training on the newly developed risk assessment framework and quality standards, $3.6m to expand Domestic Violence NSW and $5m for research into perpetrators and effective interventions.
Jodie Harrison says the government is committed to seeing dramatic improvements in the rates of domestic, family and sexual violence in NSW through a preventative approach.
"There is no shying away from the horrendous statistics, and the tragic stories behind each one of those statistics", she said.
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Jodie Harrison
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