The Opinion piece in today’s West accurately describes the situation in regards to domestic violence in Wester Australia. The number of women experiencing such violence, some of a very serious and sometimes deadly nature, have not abated. In effect, the number of people seeking help with domestic violence has increased significantly in the last few months. Services that provide support to women and children facing physical abuse are much needed.
The reality is that Centrecare, along with other organisations providing such programs, has had to incrementally reduce services both in the metropolitan area, the Goldfields and remote communities due to the inadequacy of funding. Given the importance of this issue to the West Australian community, it is imperative that the WA government provides the funds necessary to ensure that, at minimum, services can be restored to previous levels. It should also seriously consider significantly increasing the availability of services to meet the existing demand.
Adj. Prof. Tony Pietropiccolo AM
Director
DV Funding cuts West Australian 5 Jun 20 1