[Greens-Media] (PRESS CONFERENCE ) - Domestic violence Senate Inquiry hearing in Sydney shows why refuge cuts must be reversed

[Matthew Hilton]

Media Release/Alert
Tuesday, 4 November 2014
(PRESS CONFERENCE) - Domestic violence Senate Inquiry hearing in Sydney shows why refuge cuts must be reversed
The Federal Senate Inquiry into domestic violence, established by the Greens, is hearing from NSW groups in a public hearing in Sydney today.  Senator Larissa Waters, Australian Greens spokesperson for women, and Dr Mehreen Faruqi MLC Greens NSW MP and spokesperson for the Status of Women, will hold a joint press conference at 12:30pm at the Tree of Knowledge (Behind NSW Parliament House).
Senator Larissa Waters, who established the inquiry, said:
"The inquiry hearings are clearly showing that funding cuts, at both the federal and the state level, are severely impacting women's refuges, which are already struggling to keep up with demand.
"There's certainly a lot of rhetoric from the Abbott and Baird governments about domestic violence but their actions speak louder than their words.
Dr Mehreen Faruqi MLC, said:
"Disgracefully, the Baird Government has removed funding for many women's only refuges across the state.
"It was only after sustained pressure from women activists that funding was restored to only five inner-city refuges.
"Sadly this doesn't help women trying to escape domestic violence in Western Sydney and regional areas, where specialist women's refuges have been forced to close or hand over their keys to the generalist providers.
"We're calling on the Baird Government to restore funding for specialist women's services across the whole state and to commit to increasing support to vulnerable women as well as programs to prevent violence", Dr Faruqi said.
Senator Waters said:
"The under-funding of refuges, coupled with the Abbott Government's budget cuts to housing, are creating a bottleneck crisis, with more women needing to access refuges than those who are able to move on to safe long-term accommodation.
"On top of this, the Abbott Government's cuts to single parent support and community legal centres threaten to trap women in violent homes because they are financially unable to escape.
"I genuinely hope that the Abbott Government senators on the inquiry committee will be compelled by the strong and tragic evidence we're hearing and will be able to convince Cabinet to abandon and reverse these dangerous cuts," Senator Waters said.
Contacts:
Senator Waters (Monique Vandeleur) 0419 626 725
Dr Faruqi MLC (Matt Hilton) 0423 106 247




Matt Hilton
Legislative, Policy and Media Adviser

e  matthew.hilton at parliament.nsw.gov.au<mailto:tamara.rouse at parliament.nsw.gov.au>
p  (02) 9230 2625
w  mehreenfaruqi.org.au

Our parliamentary office is on the land of the Gadigal of the Eora nation
[Description: Description: Description: cid:57F9A800-39E3-4162-ACFA-C84C3E3F91B0]

This email is solely for the named addressee and may be confidential. You should only read, disclose, transmit, copy, distribute,
act in reliance on or commercialise the contents if you are authorised to do so. If you are not the intended recipient of this email,
please notify the sender by email immediately and then destroy any copy of this message. Except where otherwise specifically
stated, views expressed in this e-mail are those of the individual sender.
Please consider the environment before printing this email.

SIGN UP TO STAY IN TOUCH at http://www.mehreenfaruqi.org.au/sign-up/


Our parliamentary office is on the land of the Gadigal of the Eora nation

This email is solely for the named addressee and may be confidential. You should only read, disclose, transmit, copy, distribute, act in reliance on or commercialise the contents if you are authorised to do so. If you are not the intended recipient of this email, please notify the sender by email immediately and then destroy any copy of this message. Except where otherwise specifically stated, views expressed in this e-mail are those of the individual sender.
[Description: Description: Description: Description: Description: MC900437266[1]]  Please consider the environment before printing this email.