Reinstate funding of domestic violence support services, say psychologists

The Australian Psychological Society (APS) urges the Government to implement all recommendations made in the recent Senate Inquiry’s report into domestic violence in Australia, but remains concerned that some important issues were not highlighted in the report recommendations.

These include reinstatement of government funding to domestic violence support services, and initiatives that explicitly address gender inequality and gender stereotyping in Australian society.

In its submission to the Senate Inquiry, the APS referred to evidence of higher rates of violence against women in societies where there are marked inequalities between men and women. It stressed the need for fundamental social change to remove the many cultural supports that underpin violence against women.

APS Manager of Public Interest, Heather Gridley, says “Primary prevention initiatives that explicitly promote gender equality and address gender stereotypes should be included in any government response to family violence.’’

The APS also says the Government should review significant funding cuts to a broad range of services that are essential to supporting victims of domestic violence, such as emergency accommodation, financial relief services and mental health services for children.

”All of these services help to expand the choices available to victims of family violence, which is just as important as law enforcement measures to restrict the capacity of abusers to use violence with impunity,” says Ms Gridley.

The APS supports the following Inquiry recommendations:

• School-based education across all age groups to develop respectful relationships and responses to domestic and family violence.
• Investment in primary prevention initiatives does not result in a reduction of funding for crisis services, and sufficient resources are available for any increased demand for services following specific campaigns.
• Development of consistent training for family consultants who write family reports for the Family

Court alongside the development of a national family bench book.

• Training of all judicial officers who preside over family violence matters.
• Completion of a national domestic and family violence order scheme.
• Provision of affordable housing solutions in Australia to meet long-term needs for those made homeless by domestic and family violence, including the backlog of victims.

The APS says domestic violence has a significant impact on the mental health and wellbeing of victims. It is a major cause of reduced quality of life among women and children, and of distress, injury and death for women, and has serious secondary effects for families, communities and the economy.

Ms Gridley says psychologists are frequently called on to ‘pick up the pieces’ of the damage to body, mind and spirit that domestic violence causes.