The Territory Labor Government is creating safer communities by putting victims first and investing in key areas that will create generational change.
This includes a new $300,000 funding agreement (annual) for the Galiwinku Womens Safe Place, a community-led initiative by Yolngu women at the Galiwinku Womens Space Inc. The Yolngu women are passionate about finding solutions to family and domestic violence in their community.
This annual investment and election commitment will help fund operational costs for the service delivery of domestic and family violence, prevention and crisis response. The initial work under agreement will be to develop the operational model and to finalise the design for the new facility.
The Galiwinku Womens Safe Place is being designed and delivered by the Galiwinku Womens Space as part of local decision-making in Galiwinku.
This funding agreement is on top of the Territory Labor Governments election commitment of $1 million to establish and construct the safe place.
The Galiwinku Womens Space has identified a site for the new safe place. Construction is expected to be completed by early 2020.
As stated by Minister for Territory Families, Dale Wakefield
Domestic, family, and sexual violence has a devastating impact on families and on our community. For Territory women, violence is the single largest driver for homelessness and is a major factor in children entering the child protection and youth justice systems.
The Galiwinku Womens Space has done excellent work to establish a safe place for women and children in their community. They have identified that this is what their community needs to break the cycle of violence and create generational change.
The Territory Labor Government is honouring election commitments and restoring local decision-making to remote communities to empower residents to decide what is best for them when it comes safety, education, housing and health.
As stated by Galiwinku Womens Space Chair & CEO, Bettina Danganbarr
This has been a great and positive partnership with Territory Families and has been a perfect example of how government and communities can work together for a safer community.
This is a first for local decision making and the members of the Galiwinku Womens Space are happy and excited about the future.
We are very thankful to the Northern Territory Government and Territory Families and we feel very blessed.
We hope that this will inspire other communities in the Northern Territory to reach out and to create a safer community for themselves.
