Lidia Thorpe (Victoria, Independent) | Link to this | Hansard source

Court Network is a free community court support service run by volunteers in four courts across the country. Volunteers attend court and accompany people who are going through their court matters. Often, they're survivors of family or sexual violence. Recently, a volunteer sat with a woman who was the survivor of family violence. Without the volunteer, she would have had to sit alone for six hours in a safe room. She was distressed and spoke about her experience of family violence. The volunteer accompanied her and this enabled her to give her evidence. One person who has been accompanied by this program said, 'Court Network changed my experience of the justice system. When I felt overwhelmed and alone, someone sat beside me and helped me through one of the most difficult periods of my life.' Another person has said, 'Court Network helps make the justice system more humane, accessible and effective.'

But this program is having its federal funding, it's only funding, cut at the end of this month. This program costs your government $300,000 per year. Is this really too much money for the Labor government? This is affordable. You talk about standing up for women, about family violence, but you cut the very funding that supports and enables women to feel safe to tell their story. The incredible volunteers that take time out of their lives to support vulnerable people who are needing this support the most—$300,000. Maybe cut one of your pay packets and pay for it.