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| Family violence royal commission leaves legal centres on 'fiscal cliff', warns sector | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A coalition of stakeholders from the family violence legal sector in Melbourne has met to address what they describe as shortfalls and oversights in the findings from Australia’s first royal commission into family violence, handed down last Friday. | A coalition of stakeholders from the family violence legal sector in Melbourne has met to address what they describe as shortfalls and oversights in the findings from Australia’s first royal commission into family violence, handed down last Friday. |
| The meeting was convened by the Federation of Community Legal Centres and chaired by its senior policy adviser and co-leader of the Victorian Family Violence Justice Alliance, Dr Chris Atmore. | The meeting was convened by the Federation of Community Legal Centres and chaired by its senior policy adviser and co-leader of the Victorian Family Violence Justice Alliance, Dr Chris Atmore. |
| Among the concerns raised was that in making its recommendations the commission had failed to identify community legal centres, which provide advice to victims of family violence as they enter the court system and navigate through it, as frontline services. | Among the concerns raised was that in making its recommendations the commission had failed to identify community legal centres, which provide advice to victims of family violence as they enter the court system and navigate through it, as frontline services. |
| “There was an acknowledgment in the commission’s report that frontline critical family violence services should receive urgent additional funding and that the $22.5m left over from the funding allocated toward the royal commission to do its work should be allocated to those services,” Atmore said. | “There was an acknowledgment in the commission’s report that frontline critical family violence services should receive urgent additional funding and that the $22.5m left over from the funding allocated toward the royal commission to do its work should be allocated to those services,” Atmore said. |
| “Our argument is we are in the same position. We are also a core, frontline specialist family violence service, it’s just that the service we provide is legal. But the frontline service we provide is just as much about women’s protection and safety as providing her with a refuge or crisis support, yet we aren’t receiving that funding.” | “Our argument is we are in the same position. We are also a core, frontline specialist family violence service, it’s just that the service we provide is legal. But the frontline service we provide is just as much about women’s protection and safety as providing her with a refuge or crisis support, yet we aren’t receiving that funding.” |
| The insecurity for the sector has been exacerbated by federal funding cuts due to take effect next year. Funding for community legal centres will be cut by $12m in 2017, reduced from $42m in 2016-17 to $30m in 2017-18. | The insecurity for the sector has been exacerbated by federal funding cuts due to take effect next year. Funding for community legal centres will be cut by $12m in 2017, reduced from $42m in 2016-17 to $30m in 2017-18. |
| “One of the letdowns from the commission’s findings for us has been, while of course it’s not all about money, we’re facing a federal fiscal cliff,” Atmore said. | “One of the letdowns from the commission’s findings for us has been, while of course it’s not all about money, we’re facing a federal fiscal cliff,” Atmore said. |
| “But the state also continues to bear a significant responsibility for family violence funding and we have been experiencing increasing demand over the last eight to 10 years. Our new family violence cases are up 17% from last year and advice is up 27%. Yet we have no long-term funding security.” | “But the state also continues to bear a significant responsibility for family violence funding and we have been experiencing increasing demand over the last eight to 10 years. Our new family violence cases are up 17% from last year and advice is up 27%. Yet we have no long-term funding security.” |
| Those at the meeting also expressed a desire to be included in high-level discussions between the state government and stakeholders in the sector as work begins in implementing the report’s final list of 227 recommendations. They are concerned that initiatives like community safety hubs and the creation of a more comprehensive information-sharing regime between the courts and police will not involve adequate input from their sector. | Those at the meeting also expressed a desire to be included in high-level discussions between the state government and stakeholders in the sector as work begins in implementing the report’s final list of 227 recommendations. They are concerned that initiatives like community safety hubs and the creation of a more comprehensive information-sharing regime between the courts and police will not involve adequate input from their sector. |
| “Part of the problem is we tend to be lumped in with the courts by government and others,” Atmore said. “When they talk about courts, they also talk about legal services. But the problem with that is since we began our work over 30 years ago we’ve done a lot of work to advocate to government and others to improve the court system. | “Part of the problem is we tend to be lumped in with the courts by government and others,” Atmore said. “When they talk about courts, they also talk about legal services. But the problem with that is since we began our work over 30 years ago we’ve done a lot of work to advocate to government and others to improve the court system. |
| “A lot of what we’ve been hearing from our clients is negative experiences they’ve had over the years with the justice system, so we’re not the same as the courts because we’re often actually approaching government and approaching courts and saying, ‘These things need to be better.’ We’re not employed by the courts, or funded by them.” | “A lot of what we’ve been hearing from our clients is negative experiences they’ve had over the years with the justice system, so we’re not the same as the courts because we’re often actually approaching government and approaching courts and saying, ‘These things need to be better.’ We’re not employed by the courts, or funded by them.” |
| She said a greater distinction also needed to be made between legal aid, which provides the bulk of its advice to perpetrators, and community legal centres, whose client base is comprised mostly of victims. While Atmore said she welcomed the commission’s findings and praised its work, the gaps needed to be highlighted. | She said a greater distinction also needed to be made between legal aid, which provides the bulk of its advice to perpetrators, and community legal centres, whose client base is comprised mostly of victims. While Atmore said she welcomed the commission’s findings and praised its work, the gaps needed to be highlighted. |
| The community legal sector is not alone in expressing concerns about the royal commission’s findings. A professor of violence prevention with Deakin University, Peter Miller, who spent three weeks working with the royal commission to give evidence about the impact of alcohol on family violence, said the state government had “hoodwinked” the commission into not addressing alcohol. | The community legal sector is not alone in expressing concerns about the royal commission’s findings. A professor of violence prevention with Deakin University, Peter Miller, who spent three weeks working with the royal commission to give evidence about the impact of alcohol on family violence, said the state government had “hoodwinked” the commission into not addressing alcohol. |
| During its public hearings, the commission dedicated a day to hearing evidence from alcohol researchers and experts about alcohol’s impact on family violence. Experts who gave evidence called for the availability and promotion of alcohol in Victoria to be regulated more tightly, including through amendments to the Liquor Control Reform Act. | During its public hearings, the commission dedicated a day to hearing evidence from alcohol researchers and experts about alcohol’s impact on family violence. Experts who gave evidence called for the availability and promotion of alcohol in Victoria to be regulated more tightly, including through amendments to the Liquor Control Reform Act. |
| All 24-hour liquor licences should be removed, the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education said in its evidence, and the density of liquor outlets must be lowered. But the commission made no recommendations to the state government for comprehensive alcohol law reform. | All 24-hour liquor licences should be removed, the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education said in its evidence, and the density of liquor outlets must be lowered. But the commission made no recommendations to the state government for comprehensive alcohol law reform. |
| “The commission report says the state government needs to look at the liquor review that’s occurring and consider alcohol’s impact on family violence as part of that review, but I have been informed in the past few days that that review is not going ahead anymore,” Miller said. | “The commission report says the state government needs to look at the liquor review that’s occurring and consider alcohol’s impact on family violence as part of that review, but I have been informed in the past few days that that review is not going ahead anymore,” Miller said. |
| “So it would have been good if the commission had made a back-up set of recommendations relating to alcohol rather than just calling for the review to deal with it. | “So it would have been good if the commission had made a back-up set of recommendations relating to alcohol rather than just calling for the review to deal with it. |
| “I know the commission heard from many, many victims about the role of alcohol in the violence they experienced, and for the government to say they’re holding a review of liquor licensing, when the members of that review group are largely made up of representatives from the alcohol industry, it isn’t adequate.” | “I know the commission heard from many, many victims about the role of alcohol in the violence they experienced, and for the government to say they’re holding a review of liquor licensing, when the members of that review group are largely made up of representatives from the alcohol industry, it isn’t adequate.” |
| Guardian Australia has contacted the office of the minister for gaming and liquor regulation, Jane Garrett, for comment. | Guardian Australia has contacted the office of the minister for gaming and liquor regulation, Jane Garrett, for comment. |
| Miller said it was vital that, now that the commission had completed its work, the role of alcohol as a factor in family violence was not lost from discussions around policy. | Miller said it was vital that, now that the commission had completed its work, the role of alcohol as a factor in family violence was not lost from discussions around policy. |
| “It’s time we changed the relationship between alcohol, lobby groups and and the government in Victoria, but all these relationships are deeply ingrained,” Miller said. | “It’s time we changed the relationship between alcohol, lobby groups and and the government in Victoria, but all these relationships are deeply ingrained,” Miller said. |
| Meanwhile, the Council for Homeless Persons chief executive, Jenny Smith, says while the commission’s recommendations tackle housing for victims they lack an overarching affordable housing strategy. | Meanwhile, the Council for Homeless Persons chief executive, Jenny Smith, says while the commission’s recommendations tackle housing for victims they lack an overarching affordable housing strategy. |
| Smith said the commission’s recommendation to the state government to significantly expand demand-side subsidies, including private brokerage, to support women to maintain their mortgage payments or rent or establish new tenancies, there was good evidence that the problems in housing markets ran deeper and could not be purely resolved by short or medium-term subsidies. | Smith said the commission’s recommendation to the state government to significantly expand demand-side subsidies, including private brokerage, to support women to maintain their mortgage payments or rent or establish new tenancies, there was good evidence that the problems in housing markets ran deeper and could not be purely resolved by short or medium-term subsidies. |
| “We are disappointed that demand for social housing has been referred to a committee for further consideration,” she said. | “We are disappointed that demand for social housing has been referred to a committee for further consideration,” she said. |
| “This will further delay delivery of housing responses, despite the overwhelming body of evidence that many women urgently require permanent low-cost housing options. | “This will further delay delivery of housing responses, despite the overwhelming body of evidence that many women urgently require permanent low-cost housing options. |
| “An overarching affordable housing strategy is also necessary to resolve the crisis in housing for men who use violence, a current gap in our system, which often sees them returning to victims, or re-partnering.” | “An overarching affordable housing strategy is also necessary to resolve the crisis in housing for men who use violence, a current gap in our system, which often sees them returning to victims, or re-partnering.” |