Warringu opens new domestic violence shelter in Mossman, Douglas Shire

After eight years of hard-fought advocacy a Far North Queensland town will soon open its first emergency shelter for women and children escaping domestic violence.

A new crisis shelter for women and children fleeing domestic violence will soon open in Mossman, north of Cairns. File picture: AAP/Dan Peled

Women and children fleeing domestic violence in the Douglas Shire will soon have a safe place to escape to and seek lifesaving support.

A new crisis shelter with temporary accommodation for families will soon open in Mossman, marking the first time such a service has ever been available in the Far North Queensland town.

The two-unit shelter, spearheaded by the Douglas Shire Council, was built in 2022 with $760,000 of federal government funding.

However it sat idle until the state government in April awarded a $2.2m contract to Warringu Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Corporation, which runs a similar five-unit service in Cairns, to operate the shelter over the next four-and-a-half years.

Warringu general manager Karen Dini-Paul said she was currently recruiting staff in order to open the emergency shelter as soon as possible.

Families that stay at the shelter will go through a structured support program which typically spans eight to twelve weeks, Ms Dini-Paul said.

Karen Dini-Paul, general manager of Warringu Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Corporation. Picture Emily Barker.

“But because of the housing crisis at the moment, that’s become more drawn out and much longer,” she said.

“The shelters are really that first point of contact and from there we assess what’s going on, help women get the space to decide what their priorities are.

“We work with the housing agencies to get them more long-term accommodation (if needed) and then we can continue to work with them for up to a year after when they’re at their own place through our mobile support.”

Warringu’s mobile teams will also be able to travel to suspected victims of family and domestic violence who are yet to seek help, Ms Dini-Paul said.

Devastating floods that hit Mossman in the wake of Tropical Cyclone Jasper in December as well as the town’s sugar mill closure had led to social issues including an increase in domestic violence, Ms Dini-Paul said. Picture: Harry Cobb

However she said the shelter will be full soon after it opens in the coming weeks.

“There are women waiting to go in, I’ve been advised. It’s very much needed – it’s a crisis response for women,” she said.

“Children that have lived experience of violence have all kinds of problems as well when they grow up and are very likely to end up in those types of relationships themselves.

“We certainly see that with children, when they come into the shelter, they boss mum around and it’s that behaviour they’ve learned from dad.

“That’s the kind of work that we do for women to help them re-establish themselves as the authority figure and the matriarch in the family … that includes the kids, getting them stabilised and into school.”

Douglas Shire mayor Lisa Scomazzon. Picture: Gizelle Ghidella

Douglas Shire mayor Lisa Scomazzon said domestic violence was an “abhorrent and widespread issue” in the region.

“As a council we felt compelled to provide greater support for local women and children,” she said.

“We look forward to Warringu Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Service providing a safe space for those in need and filling a void within our community.”

Douglas Shire councillor Abigail Noli said council had been advocating to get the shelter up and running for at least eight years.

“In 2016 I learnt the frightening extent of DV in Douglas … this facility is one aspect of a multi-pronged effort to reduce crime in our community,” she said.

“Thanks must go to both the state and federal governments for funding to make this a reality.”

Cook MP Cynthia Lui said her background in the DFV sector prior to politics had made her “acutely aware” of the need to offer more support for victims and behaviour-change programs for perpetrators.

“Domestic and family violence is, sadly, all around us. It is a terrible and often hidden reality in the lives of many families,” she said.

“Specialist shelters are so important and, although I wish we did not need them, I am pleased to see that trauma-informed and culturally-safe support will now be available in Mossman.”

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women are 31 times more likely to be hospitalised due to family-violence related assaults, according to OurWatch.

Originally published as Warringu opens new domestic violence shelter in Mossman, Douglas Shire