Council to consider creating domestic violence service

Campbelltown Council will consider establishing its own domestic violence service.

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Campbelltown Council will look to establish its own domestic violence service in the Macarthur region,

Labor councillor Margaret Chivers told a council meeting earlier this week the area lacked a dedicated domestic violence service that encompassed the full suite of services that should be available to women escaping domestic violence.

Council staff to investigate opportunities to establish the service in the area in conjunction with corporate and government partners and service providers following a unanimous vote by councillors.

Between April 2018 and March 2019 police recorded 942 incidents of domestic violence in the Campbelltown LGA according to the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research.

Campbelltown Labor Councillor Margaret Chivers.

Cr Chivers said the statistics showed Campbelltown needed a dedicated service.

“Campbelltown Council has the third highest rate of reported domestic violence assaults across Sydney,” she said.

“Those are the ones police know about but I would guess that is just a drop in the bucket.”

Cr Chivers said women from the region’s multicultural communities who were affected by domestic violence often faced additional barriers to escaping abuse.

“Many of these women for whom this is intended have a lower ability to speak English... they have a lack of understanding of the Australian legal and welfare system,” she said

“At the moment they need to travel to the Bankstown Domestic Violence Service to access help.”

Campbelltown Mayor George Brticevic said the State and Federal Government’s had ‘abdicated’ their responsibility for providing domestic violence assistance due to a lack of funding.

A report by council staff on the viability of the council establishing a service in partnership with other agencies will be prepared in the coming months.