Monday, 22 October 2018

The next of Victoria’s new Support and Safety Hubs – the Orange Door – will soon be open, as the Andrews Labor Government works to protect women and children from violence and deliver every recommendation of the landmark Royal Commission into Family Violence.

Special Minister of State Gavin Jennings today got a first look at Inner Gippsland’s new Orange Door hub in Morwell, which is set to help families access the services they need to be safe and supported.

The Orange Door was a key Royal Commission recommendation and is a partnership across government and the community sector to provide a single contact point for adults, children and young people experiencing family violence. The Orange Door also integrates the crucial ChildFIRST service for families.

A key point of the service is that there is no wrong door for families seeking support or advice. The Orange Door is welcoming and evokes a sense of hope, giving people the support they need before they reach crisis point – however, this now potentially faces the axe as Matthew Guy and the Liberals look to cut family violence services.

Last week a media report stated:

Prevention of family violence spokeswoman Georgie Crozier said the opposition would consider the recommendations’ “financial impost” and whether “there are efficiencies that can be realised”…. “We need to understand the full detail of those 227 recommendations, understand if there can be efficiencies and improvements.”  Herald Sun, 17 October 2018

Keeping women and children safe is not a financial impost. It’s beyond belief that when it comes to cutting services, the Liberals are promising to target some of the most vulnerable people in our community.

Matthew Guy must immediately come clean on which frontline family violence services will be subject to the Liberals’ razor gang if he wins the election and why he’s walking away from the world’s first such inquiry.

The Orange Door in Inner Gippsland is set to open by December and will be the fifth hub to commence operations in Victoria, with Bayside Peninsula, Barwon, Mallee and North Eastern Melbourne already open. All 17 hubs across Department of Health and Human Services areas will be open by 2021.

The Labor Government has invested $448.1 million to establish Support and Safety Hubs across Victoria – part of its record $2.6 billion investment in family violence services, which is at risk under Matthew Guy and the Liberals.

Quotes attributable to Special Minister of State Gavin Jennings

“The Orange Door is transforming the way people access support services, providing an easy and safe way to get help before a situation reaches crisis point, yet this service is at risk from the Liberals.”

“It beggars belief that the Liberals would walk away from the landmark Royal Commission into Family Violence and key services such as this new support and safety hub that will save lives and help end violence.”

“We’ve already seen more than 16,000 people across the state access The Orange Door, as we work hard to combat Victoria’s number one law and order issue – family violence.”

Quotes attributable to Member for Eastern Victoria Harriet Shing

“Thanks to this new service, local women and children affected by family violence will finally be able to get the support they need in inner Gippsland. This is about ending family violence and saving lives.”

“It’s disgraceful that the Liberals and Nationals would see keeping women and children safe as a financial impost – and cutting funding to family violence services across Gippsland is no way to end family violence.”