Gold Coast domestic violence: City set to get small share of government funding

The Gold Coast will get a small percentage of a state government roll out despite the city’s shocking history of abuse. READ THE FULL REPORT

• Gold Coast community's touching tribute to Kelly Wilkinson
• Queensland's shameful DV toll laid bare

THE Gold Coast will get only $63,000 of the state government’s $2.5m roll out for new domestic violence projects despite the city’s shocking cases of abuse, according to the Opposition.

Attorney-General Shannon Fentiman in April announced a $2.5m funding package would be divided among 23 projects to help fund domestic, family and sexual violence survivor services.

But the Bulletin has been told the Coast will receive only 2.5 per cent ($63,000) of that money.

A table showing the grants confirms the Domestic Violence Prevention Centre will use the funding to develop a series of videos to help “isolated” women gain online help.

Of the grants distributed across the state, $91,961 or 3.68 per cent was being spent to provide sexual assault counselling services.

Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Minister for Women and Minister for the Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence Shannon Fentiman speaking in Parliament. Pics Tara Croser.

“The Gold Coast is being short-changed despite having some of the most violent cases in Queensland,” Opposition domestic, family and sexual violence spokesperson Amanda Camm said.

“The state government needs to recognise services on the Gold Coast that deal with sexual violence need more than 2.5 per cent of the funding.“Violence against women is not just isolated to domestic violence but also the significant increase in sexual assault.

“Gold Coast women who are coming forward and reporting incidents need these services.”

In March, a Bulletin report revealed the state government had spent only $8m of the federal government’s $25m COVID relief fund.

It meant the Gold Coast Centre Against Sexual Violence would lose almost half its counsellors by the end of the year when $250,000 in COVID relief funding ran out.

The cut would be despite the vital service seeing it’s longest waiting lists in 30 years.

Ms Fentiman told Parliament on Thursday that her “deepest sympathies go out to the family of Kelly Wilkinson and in particular her three young children”.

“Enough is enough. Since 2015 we have invested over half a billion dollars towards ending domestic and family violence,” Ms Fentiman said.

“However, we know clearly that there is much more work to do, especially in light of COVID-19, which has increased violence against women in our community.

“During the pandemic almost one in 10 women in a relationship in this country experienced domestic and family violence, with two-thirds saying the violence started or escalated during lockdowns.”

Ms Fentiman said the government was swift to respond to the increasing demand on domestic, family and sexual violence services with an immediate funding boost of $7.5m.

“Working with the federal government we were also able to secure $25m through the COVID-19 Domestic and Family Violence Responses national partnership agreement,” she said.

Originally published as Gold Coast domestic violence: City set to get small share of government funding