Question Without Notice No. 473 asked in the Legislative Council on 23 August 2017 by Hon Nick Goiran
Parliament: 40 Session: 1
FAMILY AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE — OUR WATCH PROGRAM
473. Hon NICK GOIRAN to the Leader of the House representing the Minister for Prevention of Family and Domestic Violence:
I refer to the answer given on Thursday 18 May 2017 by the Minister for Prevention of Family and Domestic Violence to question without notice 54 asked in the other place.
(1) What measures will be put in place to make women and children safe?
(2) In which calendar month of this year will each of these measures be implemented?
Hon SUE ELLERY replied:
I thank the honourable member for some notice of the question. I note that the question is dated 13 June 2017. However, I have a note stating that this answer is correct as at 16 August 2017. The minister has provided the answer as follows.
(1) The government has made comprehensive commitments to reform and new initiatives in response to family and domestic violence. Commitments directly within my portfolio as Minister for the Prevention of Family and Domestic Violence include introducing evidence-based respectful relationships education in schools; establishing two additional refuges and two one-stop shops/hubs to make it easier for victims to access support services; expanding sexual assault counselling and outreach services in the northern suburbs; providing culturally appropriate support services to victims from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and culturally and linguistically diverse communities; providing services in the Peel region; establishing a perpetrator intervention response based on emerging good practice in this area and taking account of the Breathing Space model; working with the RSPCA, local government authorities and animal havens to establish an easy entry pathway for victims' pets to be housed away from perpetrators of domestic and family violence; and, joining the national primary prevention organisation, Our Watch.
(2) On 1 May 2017, Western Australia became a member of the national Our Watch program. Grant funding of $100 000 was provided for the Pets in Crisis program in July 2017. This program, provided by the RSPCA, ensures victims' pets are safely housed away from perpetrators of family and domestic violence. The implementation of the other initiatives set out above is to occur following appropriate consultation and government processes.