- Published:
- Wednesday 9 August 2017
The Andrews Labor Government will support specialised family violence services for Victoria’s LGBTI community.
Minister for Equality Martin Foley today announced $3 million over four years to develop comprehensive specialist services for LGBTI Victorians who experience or are at risk of experiencing family violence. This adds to the $1 million allocated for the initiative in 2016/17.
The funding will support family violence referral, counselling and support, peer support, early intervention and perpetrator intervention programs. This work will involve secondary consultation to mainstream family violence organisations across Victoria.
Supported by the Victorian LGBTI Taskforce, the services will bring together expertise from the LGBTI and family violence sectors to provide increased support for Victoria’s LGBTI communities.
Drummond Street Services will lead the new partnership, alongside Switchboard Victoria, Transgender Victoria and the Victorian AIDS Council.
The Labor Government recognises that specialist services are needed to meet the complex needs of LGBTI communities, who face significant barriers to seeking family violence support.
The record $1.9 billion earmarked in the Victorian Budget 2017/18 for family violence reform includes $5.3 million for LGBTI communities, along with an additional investment in LGBTI specialist court applicant and respondent practitioners and LGBTI family violence case managers.
For further information, visit familyviolence.vic.gov.au.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Equality Martin Foley
“We are proud to be supporting LGBTI family violence survivors, providing them with specialist care and support in rebuilding their lives.”
“We know that Victorians from LGBTI communities face significant barriers to accessing the support they need to deal with family violence, so we’re providing tailored services to the community.”
Quotes attributable to CEO of Drummond Street Services’ Queerspace Karen Field
“The LGBTI community experiences the same if not higher rates of family violence during childhood, in adolescence and within adult intimate partner relationships as the heterosexual community does. This, coupled with community-level trans-homo-bi phobia, often results in complex health and wellbeing issues for LGBTI Victorians.”
“Ensuring access to LGBTI specialist family violence services and activities to prevent and respond to family violence is vital to improving health outcomes for LGBTIQ communities and their families.”