Will Hodgman,Premier & Minister for the Prevention of Family Violence
Action to prevent and respond to family violence is a top priority for me, and my Government.
Today, I am releasing the final report from Tasmania's first Family Violence Action Plan, which highlights a decrease in the number of high risk family violence incidents and an increase in the number of Family Violence Orders issued.
This nation-leading Action Plan – Safe Homes, Safe Families was released in 2015, with additional funding of $26 million from my Government over four years, for 23 separate actions to address family violence in our community.
The report shows there has been a steady increase in the reporting of family violence arguments and incidents, indicating greater community awareness and intolerance of family violence. Importantly, victims feel more confident to report offences.
Through our first Action Plan, we have delivered additional services and support for victims and survivors, as well as stronger legislative protections.
Since 2015, 841 high risk family violence incidents were mapped by the new Safe Families Coordination Unit, which meant more than 8000 at risk children have been identified and more than 5000 notifications made to schools so those students could be supported.
970 people have been provided with support, counselling and referrals through our new Safe Choices service.
743 additional children and young people have received counselling services, and 4593 additional hours of counselling services have been provided for adults.
50 extra houses have been made available to provide safety for families experiencing family violence, and women were provided with safety upgrades to support them to remain in their home or home of choice.
But while we have seen encouraging results from the final report, there is still a consistent and high level of family and sexual violence in our communities.
We have released our new Family and Sexual Violence Action Plan – Safe Homes, Families, Communities - with an additional $26 million over three years containing 40 actions, as we work towards a safer Tasmania, and one free from family violence.
The final report can be found here: www.dpac.tas.gov.au/safehomesfamiliescommunities
