I am pleased to announce with the Minister for the Status of Women, Judi Moylan, that the Commonwealth will fund a new strategy to address the significant social problem created by domestic violence.
Partnerships Against Domestic Violence is a two-part funding package worth more than $25 million over the next three and a half years to combat this abhorrent practice.
The first part of the package -- worth $12 million to June 2001 -- is for cooperative work between the Commonwealth and States/Territories. An additional $13.3 million for new Commonwealth portfolio initiatives will be developed in consultation with the States/Territories.
The funds will be directed at programmes aimed at preventing domestic violence occurring in the first place, protecting victims of domestic violence and educating of the community about breaking the cycle whereby child victims become adult offenders.
Today's funding boosts the Commonwealth's total spending on domestic violence programmes to over $100 million.
All heads of government have today demonstrated by their participation in this first-ever National Summit on Domestic Violence how serious and widespread the problem of domestic violence is in our nation, and their commitment to helping to end it.
Partnerships Against Domestic Violence provides a framework under which innovative projects for preventing domestic violence will operate.
Governments throughout Australia have taken many steps over the past two decades to try and stop the incidence of domestic violence but, despite spending large sums and implementing a number of programmes, progress has been frustratingly slow.
Domestic violence not only has traumatic personal consequences but also inflicts enormous social and economic costs on the whole community.
Many women do not seek help from crisis services, and it is time we addressed their needs.
We have all come together today to find new approaches which work so that Australian families can live free of the fear of violence.
The States and Territories have developed some ground-breaking projects aimed at effectively responding to, and preventing, domestic violence.
We must acknowledge that domestic violence is not a private matter, but a serious issue for our whole society.
Today's summit is the beginning of a cooperative process for Australian governments to build on their many years of work with new measures to prevent family violence and to change community attitudes to ensure domestic violence is no longer tolerated.
7 November 1997