Dr Matthew Thomas and Anna Dunkley
In March 2015, the Prime Minister described domestic
violence as a ‘tragic and deadly epidemic’, and
announced the establishment of a new Advisory Panel on violence against
women.[1] This followed a commitment
by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) at its latest meeting to take
urgent collective action to address violence against women, the Victorian
Government’s establishment of a Royal Commission into Family Violence, and a period
of sustained media attention to the issue of domestic violence.[2]
Despite the recent public focus on domestic violence and
calls for increased Government funding to support victims of domestic violence
and violence prevention efforts, the Budget delivers a relatively minor amount
of funding for a new national awareness campaign and does not increase funding
for other national domestic violence initiatives. The Budget provides funding
for community services grants, legal assistance and homelessness
services, but this funding is short-term, continuing a cycle of funding uncertainty
for these service providers.[3]
National Initiatives
The Australian Government’s strategy to tackle domestic
violence in cooperation with state and territory governments is outlined in the
National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children (the
National Plan).[4] Funding for the
National Plan is provided under the National Initiatives program component
of the Social Services portfolio, which was allocated a total of $119.5 million
over four years.[5] This is only slightly
more than the $117.9 million that was allocated last year for the
period 2014–15 to 2017–18.[6]
Similarly, the Budget does not provide any
substantial new funding for the Office for Women. This Office, which is based
within the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet (PM&C), has
responsibility for women’s policies and programs on gender equality, women’s
economic empowerment and opportunity, safety and leadership. It has been
allocated $3.6 million for 2015–16, only slightly more than the
$3.5million it was allocated in 2014–15 and less than the actual spend for
2014–15 of $3.8 million.[7]
New funding was announced in March 2015 for the National
Awareness Campaign to Reduce Violence Against Women and their Children. This
new campaign is to receive total funding of $30.0 million over three years.[8]
The states and territories will contribute $15.0 million towards this total, and
the Australian Government has allocated the remaining $15.0 million, as well as
a further $1.7 million for administration costs.[9] It is envisaged that the
campaign will ‘drive nation-wide change in the culture, attitudes and
behaviours that underpin violence against women and their children’.[10]
Community grants
As a part of the 2014–15 Budget, the Government introduced
reforms to discretionary grants programs administered by the Department of
Social Services. The reforms resulted in funding for community grants being
reduced by $240.0 million over four years.[11]
Following the Budget, community service providers were asked
to change their service offers in line with new criteria, and to submit bids
for a share of the reduced funding that was available. A number of specialist
family violence service organisations were advised that their bids had been
unsuccessful. In January 2015, 27 of these
organisations were offered four-month agreement extensions.[12]
Perhaps unsurprisingly, some stakeholders have argued that the
changed funding arrangements have negatively affected service provision.[13]
The Budget allocates $55.6 million over three years from
2014–15 to broadly ‘ensure continuity of front line community services as
funding arrangements transition to the New Way of Working for Grants
framework’.[14] While a proportion of this
funding will go towards services that provide general support for women and
children experiencing domestic violence, it is not clear just how much will be
targeted towards specialist family violence programs.[15]
That said, in April 2015, Minister for Social Services, Scott Morrison,
announced the allocation of $15.7 million over two years towards the delivery
of 27 specialist family violence services and eight family early intervention
alcohol and drug services.[16]
Legal Assistance
Legal assistance services play an important role in
addressing domestic violence.[17]
The Australian Government’s 2013–14 Mid-year Economic and
Fiscal Outlook included $43.1 million in savings over four years, achieved by
removing funding for policy reform and advocacy for four legal assistance
programs.[18] This decision was
to have affected community legal centres, legal aid and Indigenous legal
services.
In March 2015, Attorney-General George Brandis announced
that the Government would restore $25.5 million in legal support funding
over two years.[19] Accordingly, the Budget includes
$12.0 million in funding for community legal centres and $11.5 million for the
Indigenous Legal Assistance Programme.[20] This budget measure will
be offset by unspecified savings from the Indigenous area of PM&C and the
Attorney-General’s Portfolio.[21]
Homelessness
Domestic violence is a leading cause of women and children
using homelessness services and women’s shelters.[22]
Funding for these services is provided through the National Partnership
Agreement on Homelessness (NPAH) under the National Affordable Housing
Agreement.[23]
In March 2015, Scott Morrison announced the provision of
$230.0 million to extend the NPAH until 30 June 2017.[24]
This decision is reflected in the Budget, which indicates that funding will be
targeted towards frontline services, focusing on women and children
experiencing domestic and family violence and homeless youth.[25]
The 2014–15 Budget provided $115.0 million to extend the NPAH
for 2014–15.[26] At the time, providers
of homelessness services were concerned that there would be a crisis in service
delivery should ongoing funding beyond June 2014 not be forthcoming. The one-year
extension of funding followed a similar single year commitment of $159.0
million by the Gillard Government for the previous year.[27]
The 2014–15 Budget also discontinued funding rounds for homelessness research
and peak bodies, a decision announced on 22 December 2014.[28]
Comment
Some commentators have criticised the Budget’s
limited response to the issue of domestic violence. For example, Renee Carr, Executive
Director of Fair Agenda, has argued that the Budget does not demonstrate a
long-term commitment to tackling what the Government has itself described as a
national epidemic.[29]
It should be noted that following the
Budget’s release, Scott Morrison and Michaelia Cash, Minister Assisting the
Prime Minister for Women, announced that the Government would be providing an
additional $4.0 million towards the 1800RESPECT hotline—a service that supports
women who have experienced, or are at risk of, sexual assault or domestic
violence.[30] Morrison and Cash also
suggested that the Government would have ‘more to say’ on domestic violence ‘in
the near future’.[31] The states and
territories have a key role to play in tackling domestic violence and COAG will
be drawing on the advice and recommendations of the Advisory Panel in
developing means to address violence against women.
The key issue would appear to be the need
for sufficient on-going funding for services to support women and children
experiencing domestic violence. As Carr observes, an awareness campaign is ‘pointless’
without services to support women experiencing and leaving situations of
domestic violence.
[1].
T Abbott (Prime Minister) and M Cash (Minister Assisting the Prime
Minister for Women), National
awareness campaign to reduce violence against women and children, media
release, 4 March 2015. The membership of the advisory panel was announced on 14
May 2015. See T Abbott (Prime Minister) and M Cash (Minister Assisting the
Prime Minister for Women), Advisory
panel announced to reduce violence against women, media release, 14 May
2015. For information about domestic violence in Australia, see: J Phillips and
P Vandenbroek, Domestic,
family and sexual violence in Australia: an overview of the issues,
Research paper series 2013–14, Parliamentary Library, Canberra, 14 October
2014.
[2].
Council of Australian Government (COAG)s, Communique, COAG Meeting, Canberra, 17 April 2015; Royal Commission into Family Violence (Victoria)
website.
[3].
In the interim report of its inquiry into domestic violence in
Australia, the Senate Finance and Public Administration
References Committee observed that funding uncertainty as a result of changed
Department of Social Services grant arrangements has had a negative impact on
the community services sector, reducing some organisations’ capacity to plan
effectively and retain experienced staff. Senate Finance
and Public Administration References Committee, Domestic
Violence in Australia: interim report, The Senate, Canberra, March
2015, pp. 8–9.
[4]. COAG, National
Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children, p. 2.
[5].
Australian Government, Portfolio
budgets statements 2015–16: budget related paper no. 1.15A: Social Services
Portfolio, p. 92.
[6].
Australian Government, Portfolio
budget statements 2014–15: budget related paper no. 1.15A: Social Services
Portfolio, p. 98.
[7].
Portfolio
budget statements 2015–16: budget related paper no. 1.14: Prime Minister and
Cabinet, op. cit., p. 30; Portfolio
budget statements 2014–15: budget related paper no. 1.14: Prime Minister and
Cabinet, op. cit., p. 31.
[8].
T Abbott and M Cash, op. cit.
[9].
Australian Government, Budget
measures: budget paper no. 2: 2015–16, p. 163.
[10].
Ibid.
[11].
Australian Government, Budget
measures: budget paper no. 2: 2014–15, p. 197. The Senate Community
Affairs References Committee is currently holding an inquiry into the Impact
on Service Quality, Efficiency and Sustainability of Recent Commonwealth Community
Service Tendering Processes by the Department of Social Services, which is due to report on 19 August 2015.
[12].
Senate Community Affairs Committee, Answers to Questions on Notice,
Social Services Portfolio, Additional Estimates 2014–15, 25–27 February 2015,
Question SQ15—000003.
[13].
J Hill, ‘Home truths: the cost and causes of domestic violence’, Monthly, March 2015, pp. 18–25.
[14].
Budget
measures: budget paper no. 2: 2015–16, op. cit., p. 166.
[15].
Portfolio
budgets statements 2015–16: budget related paper no. 1.15A: Social Services
Portfolio, op. cit., p. 33.
[16].
S Morrison (Minister for Social Services), Coalition
Government boosts funding support for vulnerable children and their families,
media release, 17 April 2015.
[17].
COAG, National
Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children, op. cit., p. 26.
[18]. Australian
Government, Mid-year
economic and fiscal outlook 2013–14, December 2013, p. 119.
[19].
G Brandis (Attorney-General) and M Cash (Minister Assisting the Prime
Minister for Women), Legal
aid funding assured to support the most vulnerable in our community,
media release, 26 March 2015.
[20].
Budget
measures: budget paper no. 2: 2015–16, op. cit., pp. 60-1. Indigenous
women and children are more likely to experience violence than any other
section of Australian society: Productivity Commission (PC), Overcoming
Indigenous disadvantage key indicators 2011, PC, Canberra, 2011, p. 4.120.
[21].
Budget
measures: budget paper no. 2: 2015–16, op. cit.
[22].
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), Specialist homelessness
services 2012–2013, AIHW, Canberra, 2013, p. vii.
[23]. Department
of Social Services (DSS), ‘Housing
support’, DSS website.
[24].
S Morrison (Minister for Social Services), Coalition
reverses Labor’s funding cuts on homelessness with $230 million commitment
prioritising victims of domestic violence, media release, 23 March
2015.
[25].
Budget
Measures: budget paper no. 2: 2015–16, op. cit., p. 165.
[26]. Budget
measures: budget paper no. 2: 2014–15, op. cit. p. 205.
[27]. M Butler (Minister for Housing and Homelessness), $159 million for national homelessness agreement, media release, 18 March 2013.
[28]. Budget
measures: budget paper no. 2: 2014–15, op. cit., p. 205; DSS, ‘Grants:
housing and homelessness research’, DSS website, 22 December 2014.
[29].
R Olding, ‘Budget
2015: Government failed domestic violence test’, The Sydney Morning
Herald, (online edition), 13 May 2015.
[30].
S Morrison (Minister for Social Services) and M Cash (Minister Assisting
the Prime Minister for Women), Abbott
Government delivers funding boost for 1800RESPECT, media release, 17
May 2015.
[31].
Ibid.
All online articles accessed May 2015.
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