Budget 2024: Backlash over lack of help for domestic violence victims

Peak women’s groups have blasted the government for failing to invest in proper domestic, family and sexual violence services in the budget.

Anthony Albanese on Wednesday. Picture: Getty Images

Peak women’s groups have blasted the government for failing to invest in proper domestic, family and sexual violence services in the budget, declaring Anthony Albanese has failed to “read the room” and appropriately respond to the spate of gendered violence in recent months.

Labor’s budget included nearly $1bn to make a program offering women up to $5000 to assist them in leaving violent situations and a further $1bn to boost crisis accommodation.

But despite a push from the crossbench and women’s advocates to also include more funding for frontline services – which are buckling under an explosion of demand – there were few additional measures in the budget aside from funding more research and conducting a review of which preventions were effective.

“We talk about a cost-of-living crisis. Women are being murdered every week – how are the services that support our safety and freedom not at the core of this budget?” Fair Agenda executive director Renee Carr said.

Safe Steps, which provides ­accommodation and services to women leaving violence, said the government was “missing a moment in time that history won’t recount well”.

“Where is the crisis response?” Safe Steps chief executive Chelsea Tobin said, adding Safe Steps was putting 200 women in motels every night because their supported accommodation was full.

“About 40 per cent of those women have active suicidality. And they’re just in a motel with four walls and their thoughts,” she said.

Goldstein independent Zoe Daniel slammed Jim Chalmers for failing to stump up the funding that was so desperately needed in the wake of 28 women being killed by men this year alone.

A rally in Geelong in 2021 calling for an end to gendered violence against women. Picture: Mark Wilson

Ms Daniel said she was putting together a petition calling on the two major parties to properly fund frontline services, and challenged the Treasurer in question time if he would commit to doing so, to which Dr Chalmers replied: “We are always prepared to consider what more can be responsibly done as we work together to tackle this national shame of gender-based violence. I do want to acknowledge that even with that substantial investment, we all have much more work to do. We all have much more work that we need to do together because women still aren’t safe in our communities and we acknowledge that.”

National Council of Single Mothers and their Children chief executive Terese Edwards said the government had “missed an opportunity” to respond to the gendered violence epidemic.

“There is so much angst across the country … and they haven’t read the room,” she said.

Mr Albanese has faced severe backlash for his attendance at a rally against gendered violence in Canberra earlier this month, where he declared “I am the Prime Minister” after being criticised by rally organiser Sarah Williams in front of the gathered crowd.

Centre for Women’s Safety and Wellbeing chief executive Alison Evans said while it was clear the Albanese government had an appetite to solve the crisis, the country was “still waiting for serious investment” in the national plan to end violence against women and children.