Today, I am announcing $15 million for the legal assistance sector to help women experiencing domestic violence to access vital legal advice.

Every woman in Australia has the right to feel safe and to live without fear – the rates of violence against women in this country are unacceptable and demand action.

This funding is part of the Australian Government’s $100 million package to respond to family and domestic violence by enhancing women’s safety.

This package includes $59 million for practical initiatives to keep women safe, $36 million to improve front-line support and $5 million to develop online resources promoting respectful relationships.

The $15 million for the legal assistance sector will help women to access legal services safely by establishing twelve new specialist domestic violence units, building four new health justice partnerships and expanding one very successful health justice partnership.

These innovative pilot services will be located in areas with high reported rates of domestic violence and will be established by existing legal assistance providers with a strong record of providing high quality services to women experiencing domestic violence.

The package was announced today by the Prime Minister, and the Minister for Women at the Eastern Community Legal Centre. That centre will receive funding to establish a new specialist domestic violence unit to assist women in North-East Melbourne and the surrounding region. Other providers will be announced in the coming days.

The specialist domestic violence units will provide wrap-around support to women, taking a case management approach to ensure that services are tailored to each woman’s circumstances and will include both legal help and other practical assistance.

New health justice partnerships will be delivered in conjunction with four of the specialist units. Through these partnerships, legal professionals will train doctors and health workers to better identify and respond to domestic violence. They will also provide onsite legal assistance to patients, helping women to access legal services in safe locations.

These services will pilot innovative ways of providing critical support for women who are victims of domestic violence. We are working together with the legal assistance sector and state governments to take a stand against domestic violence to make Australia a place where women and children feel safe.

24 September 2015