Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1697631640854.pdf (Australia)
Central Coast Community Women’s Health Centre Submission on Domestic Violence to the Senate Inquiry.

Central Coast Community Women’s Health Centre (CCCWHC) is a not-for-profit community based organisation that provides a holistic model of health care to women.

We operate from three locations across the Central Coast at Wyoming (main centre), Woy Woy (outreach) and Wyong (outreach).
Our services include a well women’s clinic, counselling, therapeutic and social groups, advocacy, childcare, community engagement and development, and alternative therapist care.

Many of our clients have experienced or are currently experiencing domestic violence.

Our comments are as follows: 1.


The prevalence and impact of domestic violence in Australia as it affects all Australians and in particular women with a disability, women from ATSI; Domestic violence has the potential to increase levels of disability particularly as regards mental illness including but not limited to depression and anxiety.

Women living with depression and anxiety can be isolated in society and find it difficult to access mainstream health services.
The women-only service of the Women’s Health Centre is one of the health services that women with a disability/mental illness feel most comfortable accessing.

Almost 100% of the Aboriginal women that access our counselling service have experienced domestic violence.

Aboriginal women experience a heavier burden of disease when it comes to mental health which is compounded by exposure to domestic violence.
Domestic violence deaths – According to the NSW Domestic Violence Death Review Team second Annual Report 2011-2012, there were 131 intimate partner domestic violence deaths in the context of Domestic Violence; 101 of whom were female and 17.5% identified as Aboriginal.

For the same period, there were 93 relative/kin deaths in the context of domestic violence and almost half of these were between 0-4 years of age.

2.
The factors contributing to the present levels of domestic violence include:  Lack of leadership at high levels of government and politics in addressing gender discrimination and misogyny in our society; Lack of leadership in taking a moral stand against domestic violence; Continuing “hidden” nature of domestic violence    Domestic violence seen as an issue for lower socio-economic groups in society;  Lack of awareness of what is domestic violence – not just physical but also encompassing emotional, cultural, social, financial, psychological.
Inadequate funding for local, on the ground services to address domestic violence including for counselling, advocacy and casework.

  Decisions regarding funding made at top levels with little to no knowledge of needs on the  ground.

Inadequate resources being put into addressing healthy relationships at the early teenage stages.
Domestic violence in AustraliaSubmission 28   Lack of options for women wanting to leave domestic violence situations in particular regarding affordable housing as well as support systems.

Lack of understanding of the cost of domestic violence to our health system annually.

Addressing the violence with long term strategies would significantly reduce this cost.

3.
3.

The adequacy of policy and community responses to domestic violence:   Inadequate funding to resource effective responses to domestic violence.

Stripping of resources that focus on domestic violence such as the recent NSW Housing reforms and upcoming reforms to NGO health services in NSW including women’s health centres.
 Women’s health centres are at the front line of responses to domestic violence and are the only women only services operating at a local community level to address women’s needs with regard to domestic violence and to ensure safety for women.

Local communities in particular the NGO and community sector work extremely hard to address domestic violence in the community, however there is little engagement from government at the policy or funding levels.
  Much work is needed to be done to coordinate more effective police responses to  domestic violence.

There needs to be a much more consistent approach to child protection and removal of children at the FACS level in NSW.

 Much more consideration needs to be given to support provided to women when their children are removed.

4.
4.

The effects of policy decisions regarding housing, legal services and women’s economic independence on the ability of women to escape domestic violence      There needs to be a concerted effort to address the issue of lack of housing in NSW and Australia wide.

This is refuge housing and severe lack of affordable private rentals.

The woman will not leave the violent situation if she has nowhere safe to go; this is even more so the case if she has children.
The first three months after leaving a domestic violence situation are critical to ensure that the woman and her children are safe, to prevent domestic violence homicide.

Inadequate access to Legal Aid.

The woman can often not access legal aid if her partner has already accessed it, due to conflict of interest.

A woman experiencing financial abuse may have no access to any money of her own, but no way of proving that she needs legal aid for a case.

This means that she may not be represented in court.
A woman may be forced into mediation, if she cannot prove that there is domestic violence in the relationship.

In our legal system emphasis is placed on the value of evidence, the burden is on the woman to prove that she has experienced domestic violence, which can be an extremely traumatic process.

Many woman do not go through the court process for this reason.

There is a need for more court support to support women through these processes.
In the legal system there is a current emphasis on the father to maintain a connection with the children, despite evidence of domestic violence.

This can be unsafe for both the woman and the children.

Domestic violence in AustraliaSubmission 28  Changes to parenting payment mean that once the youngest child turns 6, a woman’s income in drastically reduced when she is placed on Newstart.
This reduces her capacity to be economically independent, which reduces her ability to leave a domestic violence situation.

Forcing her to work can also mean that she is placing her children at risk in an unsafe household.

5.

How the Federal Government can best support, contribute to and drive the social, cultural and behavioural shifts required to eliminate violence against women and their children  Greater leadership from government in changing the way that women are viewed in  society, i.e.
with regard to gender discrimination, attitudes towards women.

Action on housing, to ensure that there is adequate affordable housing and support services for women escaping domestic violence.

 Government to liaise with services who are operating at the grassroots level, with regard to what their needs are and the issues of the woman they see.

 Greater funding for women’s services, as women’s services are at the frontline in  dealing with domestic violence and related issues.
Education of employees in government departments in particular police and community services about domestic violence.

 More consistent guidelines for community services around removal of children.

 Greater promotion of awareness around the different kinds of domestic violence, i.e.

not just physical, and more recognition of this in the court system.

 More court support provided for woman dealing with the court system in an  environment of domestic violence.
Emphasis being placed back on domestic violence with regard to housing services and others i.e.

understanding domestic violence is integral to ensure housing adequacy and availability.

 Greater understanding of minority groups’ experience of domestic violence i.e.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, CALD, disability and LGBTIQ.

Domestic violence in AustraliaSubmission 28