By Cam Lucadou-Wells
Post the State Budget, a South-East support service has renewed hope that funding for its family-violence prevention program will continue.
Wellsprings for Women’s six-year program was due to lapse in funding at the end of June.
In some heartening Budget news, chief executive Dalal Smiley said Family Safety Victoria had notified Wellsprings that “all lapsing family violence programs across government have had funding continued”.
“For funding administered by Family Safety Victoria, this will enable the continuation of a number of critical programs to prevent and respond to family violence,” the FSV email stated.
However Ms Smiley said Wellsprings was still seeking “confirmation from the department” about the funding.
Wellsprings’ peak body Safe and Equal was also seeking “further clarification”.
In the Budget, $30.1 million was allocated for primary prevention of family violence – with further announcements to come about prevention measures in coming weeks.
Overall, family violence funding was $211 million – up $94 million from 2023-’24. It also includes $30 million for refuges and emergency accommodation for families escaping violence.
Wellsprings’ programs particularly help women of migrant and refugee backgrounds.
“English is not their first language and they have so many struggles and challenges to deal with before they can find the space in their lives to reflect on gender equality, women’s economic security and the drivers of violence against women.
“But we take advantage of the time they spend at Wellsprings to learn English and acquire new skills, to broach the subject of gender equality and family violence.
“Often conversations just happen over a coffee break or around the kitchen table and not always in the classroom.”
Ms Smiley says it’s difficult to demonstrate the vital impact of family-violence prevention work at a state or national level.
“Those of us working at the forefront, with communities, having conversations on gender equality and family violence, and exploring together culturally safe and tailored messages and approaches, are able to witness the changes in people’s attitudes and behaviors.
“Prevention programs work but need to happen consistently and over long-term and in a timely manner.”
With time, the programs “grow the pool of men and women whose lives are transformed”, she said.
They instill the value of raising children free of gender stereotypes and rigid roles, as well as helping couples with shared decision-making, domestic and caring duties.
Ms Smiley was disappointed that the Federal Government’s $925 million family violence response on 1 May, allocated nothing toward prevention.
“We urge our governments to keep funding prevention because if we only focus on responding to family violence, we fail in addressing the roots of the problem.”
Australians ought to be “shocked and outraged” by the “national crisis with the increase of women being murdered every week”, Ms Smiley said.
As of 30 April, 28 women in Australia had been killed this year as a result of violence, according to Counting Dead Women Australia research.
A State Government spokesperson said last week that its “nation-leading work to end family violence” included helping refugee, migrant and asylum seeker women overcome barriers in seeking help.
“We are making it easier for Victoria’s diverse communities to access help when they are victims of family violence with a range of measures such as funding Wellsprings for Women.”
Separate to the prevention programs, the government last year allocated $788,000 over two years to Wellsprings to support victim-survivors of family and sexual violence and work with perpetrators.
