Goal for all to live free of violence
Multidisciplinary centres are a new approach to tackling family and sexual violence, writes Jacquie Petrusma
THE Tasmanian government is committed to eliminating family and sexual violence. Violence against anyone, in any form, is unacceptable, but the harm caused by family and sexual violence is particularly devastating and abhorrent.
Last month was Sexual Assault Awareness Month, a month that is about raising awareness, opening up conversations and breaking down the barriers so that everyone in our community can help put an end to sexual violence.
It is often a very hard and difficult decision for victimsurvivors to come forward and report family and sexual violence for many reasons, and I acknowledge and commend them all for their bravery in coming forward.
As a government we want to minimise the trauma and make it easier for victimsurvivors to tell their stories to service providers, and, if they feel comfortable, to tell Tasmania Police.
That is why, the government has announced an investment of $15.1m over two years to pilot multidisciplinary centres in both the north and the south of Tasmania that will provide wraparound, integrated and immediate support to victimsurvivors of family and sexual violence.
Multidisciplinary centres are not like reporting to a police station. They will have a different look and feel, through providing a warm and welcoming environment for the victim-survivor, especially in times of crisis, so that the first person they meet is the appropriate family or sexual violence counselling service.
These new facilities will be a place where victimsurvivors can access the support and services they need, and if they are ready, to formally report these offences to specialist investigators.
Importantly, these new centres will recognise the intersection between sexual and family violence, by expanding the capabilities and resourcing of the Safe Families Coordination Unit to include sexual violence more broadly, including child sexual violence, thereby creating a multi-agency response hub.
This will enable more effective working relationships between agencies to respond to both sexual and family violence, putting both adult and child victim-survivors at the heart.
The project will be led by Deputy Commissioner of Police, Donna Adams, and the centres will be developed in consultation with advocates, victim-survivors and our community sector and government partners to ensure the needs of victimsurvivors are prioritised.
The funding also provides for the identification and design of suitable premises with therapeutic support rooms, as well as state of the art technology, interview, court and case management facilities.
Training and specialist equipment will be a priority to ensure victim-survivor needs are prioritised in the trauma informed centres.
We know that providing co-located, victim-centric responses to sexual and family violence will improve victim-survivor experiences and strengthen criminal justice outcomes, which is why we want to work closely with those impacted by these awful crimes to ensure their voices are heard.
Funding will be included in this year’s Budget, with planning work on this important initiative already commenced, and the centres will be developed alongside our government’s third Family and Sexual Violence Action Plan.
Our new action plan will further refine and target our efforts, to achieve our goal that every Tasmanian is able to live free from violence.
To help inform our new action plan, the Hearing Lived Experience Survey 2022 is now open. The survey will build on our groundbreaking 2018 Survey by including victim-survivors and lived experience of sexual violence in addition to family violence.
All Tasmanians are urged to participate in the Hearing Lived experience Survey, which is anonymous and is available at www.safefromviolence.tas.go v.au.
If you or someone you know is impacted by family violence, call the Family Violence Response and Referral Line 24/7 on 1800 633 937. If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual violence, call the statewide Sexual Assault Crisis Line 24/7 on 1800 697 877.