Joanne Ryan (Lalor, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I echo the sentiments of the speaker who preceded me because I too rise to speak about domestic violence. I welcome the government's announcement of $15 million in funding for the delivery of targeted legal-assistance services to help women experiencing domestic violence. We all know this is much needed.

I was, however, disappointed that the Western Community Legal Service, which serves my community of Lalor, was not included in the funding round. WCLC has recently partnered with the Werribee Mercy Hospital to establish a family-violence service as part of the antenatal clinic. This service is due to start prior to December, this year, initially with a one-day-per-week commitment and an on-call service for urgent cases. The service was hoping to operate three days per week, but financial constraints are limiting the level of service. It would have been an ideal service for attracting some of this funding from the government. The WCLC is also concerned about funding more generally, when the current funding commitments end in 2017, adding to those funding pressures.

I ask what criteria were used to determine where this funding would go and which hospitals and legal centres would be involved in that? I ask for support from the government that Lalor and the western suburbs of Melbourne be supported, that more funds be found to support this fabulous service that has been independently established; let us see it lengthened and strengthened in my community.

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