By KATH GANNAWAY
WITH the selection of Rosie Batty as Australian of the Year, the Federal Government has acknowledged family violence as a major threat to women and children.
And, the economy.
Family violence costs Australia over $13 billion a year.
That should be a huge economic incentive to fix the problem, but, instead, services in the Yarra Valley that are at the coal face of this and other social issues, face closure, or have closed, due to funding cuts.
The Mail was proud two years ago, in partnership with Yarra Valley Health, to run a campaign that aimed to start the conversation locally that is now being had on a national level.
We looked at what could be done to ensure that our boys didn’t become men who assaulted women.
We looked at what services were available.
We looked at why women stayed.
We looked at what role men could play – and why they needed to.
We looked at the physical, psychological, emotional, social and economic pressures that kept women in dependency.
The Eastern Community Legal Centre operates out of Healesville and Yarra Junction and provides advice to women to help them escape family violence, possibly with their lives.
Two year’s funding, $400,000, has been cut from its four-year funding arrangement – that amounts to likely closure.
Anglicare’s Boys Will Be Men program has provided mentors/role models to give ‘at risk’ boys, often from homes that are embroiled in family violence, an alternative perspective on respectful relationships.
The $90,000-a-year funding has been cut.
The program’s gone.
Organisations such as HICCI and LinC that provide welfare to families – food, petrol, help with utility bills – are in limbo as they wait to hear whether their funding will continue, at a time when demand on them is growing.
These services are critical to addressing family violence, and other social and welfare issues here.
The business community had the ear of arguably the second most influential person in Federal Government when Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party, Julie Bishop, MP, was guest speaker at a business breakfast at Rochford Winery on 19 February.
It was a credit to Casey MP, Tony Smith, that, along with insights into her role as Foreign Minister, there was some opportunity to raise local issues such as employment and business growth.
What are the chances of getting 200 people in health, welfare, education, community legal and financial services, youth, children’s services, Indigenous services and those working directly with family violence, to an ‘Important Business’ breakfast with someone of the calibre of Ms Bishop … hopefully, PM, Tony Abbott.
Over to you Mr Smith.
