Respected group wants bail changes to end violence against women and children in rural areas

The Country Women’s Association is calling for major funding and judicial changes and for rural men to speak up against violence and abuse within families in their communities.

Rural women and children need a “very urgent and very intense” response from governments, communities and rural men themselves, to help stop the abuse and distress caused by family violence.

This is the message from one of rural Australia’s most respected organisations, the Country Women’s Association.

Its NSW branch president Joy Beames said 600 delegates at the CWA NSW annual conference in Coffs Harbour today unanimously passed an urgent motion on measures to help counter rising rates of violence.

“This was the first issue we dealt with... recognising just how important this motion was to members,” said Ms Beames said.

“Members want to see immediate and meaningful action around current rates of domestic and family violence and we’ll be strongly advocating for the measures we endorsed today.”

The motion calls for amendments to the NSW Bail Act to change the presumption of bail provisions to a default against bail for domestic and family violence offences.

It also calls for all levels of government to prioritise sustainable funding models for frontline victim support services; for all levels of government to prioritise sustainable funding models for services that target perpetrator risk factors - such as mental health, alcohol, and gambling addiction - and for a real-time tracking system to record, track, and share domestic and family violence perpetrators across systems and jurisdictions.

Ms Beames said she personally knew of women impacted by family violence in rural areas.

“There is a lack of services in every field in rural NSW, but when it comes to this violence, there are no alternative housing services, or professional help available,” she told The Weekly Times.

She said the impact on families and children - including follow-on affects throughout their lives - also could not be overlooked.

“It really makes you feel sad and like we all need to do more to help,” Ms Beames said.

In addition, the CWA leader called on more rural men to speak up against abuse.

“I definitely think it would help if more men spoke up,” she said.

“I think sometimes it is a matter of them not wanting to think it might be someone they know doing something (wrong) and they want to just pretend things are all good.

“But I think they should speak up more because once men start to speak up, it might make the other men stop and think, maybe people will find out if I do something (wrong).”

This comes as the NSW Government announced on Monday it planned to provide $230 million over four years as part of an emergency package to enhance support for domestic, family and sexual violence victim-survivors, and expand some programs that reduce the rate of violence against women and children.

For help, Women’s Crisis Line 1800 811 811 and Men’s Referral Service 1300 766 491.