Member for Gosford Liesl Tesch is urging Premier Dominic Perrottet to ensure funding of a domestic violence helpline as new statistics released by the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) reveal that incidences of domestic violence assault and sexual assault have increased significantly across the state over the last five years.
“In the five years to September 2022 instances of domestic violence increased by 13.1 per cent while in the same period reports of sexual assault increased by 25.9 per cent,” Tesch said.
“The data also revealed that sexual assaults have increased by an average of 8.3 per cent per year on the Central Coast.
“As reported by the ABC domestic violence accounts for approximately 40 per cent of calls for assistance to police across NSW.
“It was also reported that there were 22,244 reported AVO breaches in NSW in 2022, up from 15,644 in 2018.”
Tesch said a Labor Government will provide an additional $923,000 a year to the NSW Sexual Violence Helpline if elected next March.
“(This will) ensure that this vital support can continue to provide critical, 24/7 state-wide specialist counselling service for people impacted by sexual violence,” she said.
“A one-off payment of $467,679 will also be provided to help Full Stop improve access to sexual violence services in priority populations.
“In the wake of these sobering statistics, NSW Labor reiterates the call for the Liberal National Government to match this funding commitment, to ensure that such essential services continue and are accessible.”
Tesch said Labor would also deliver certainty to the domestic violence and sexual assault sector by providing NGOs with long-term five-year funding arrangements.
“This will ensure these essential services have the funding security they require to not only deliver services but to plan for the future,” she said.
“These latest statistics are shocking and show how the challenges of domestic violence and sexual assault continue to hurt the women, children and men in our community,” she said.
“There is a lot more work to be done to keep violence out of our homes and to break the challenges of addiction, neglect and trauma which all surround these horrific crimes.
“These issues don’t resolve overnight but the effective response of the NSW Sexual Violence Helpline needs to be recognised and supported.
“I hope Dominic Perrottet will agree with us that the response to these issues needs to be better funded and match our policy commitment.
“I salute the work of the Brisbane Water Police and everyone working within the sector in their ongoing effort to address violence of all kinds to keep us all safe”.
Source:
Media release, Dec 15
Member for Gosford Liesl Tesch