The Commonwealth will allocate $120,000 over two years to support women from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds through our court system.
As a result of uncertainties regarding the law in Australia or of their rights to assistance, CALD women can find their interactions with the legal system daunting and difficult to navigate.
This initiative will work to effect cultural change across the Australian court system, making every point of engagement more accessible for vulnerable CALD women – from dealings with court officials and administrators, to the sensitivity of the judge during proceedings.
Under the auspices of the Judicial Council on Cultural Diversity (JCCD), the Migration Council of Australia (MCA) will develop a national framework for use across the courts and consult closely with communities as this framework is developed.
The framework will include guidelines, protocols and training to ensure more effective and consistent administration of justice for CALD women and their families.
Additionally, the framework will ensure judges and administrators in the legal system are able to deal sensitively with matters such as child marriage and forced marriage, family violence, Female Genital Mutilation and human trafficking.
The Government is committed to reducing domestic violence in Australia, as evidenced by our commitment to the Second Action Plan under the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children.
The Government recognises that a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to dealing with family and sexual violence will not address the unique challenges faced by different groups of women in Australia.
This is why the Second Action Plan, which was launched on 27 June 2014, included a particular focus on those women from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
The Commonwealth has allocated more than $100 million over the next four years to support the Second Action Plan. Its proposals have the support of all States and Territories across Australia.
Whilst the Government cannot unilaterally prevent these abuses from occurring, we must do our best to provide an effective justice system that not only endeavours to stamp out such abuse but provides a culturally appropriate justice system in which victims feel secure and protected.
3 March 2015