Minute by the Lord Mayor
To Council:
One woman is killed every four days in
Australia, twice as many as this time last year. At least 28 women have been killed
in Australia this year alone. Many are killed by a current or former partner.
Thousands of people marched last month
calling on governments to address the epidemic of women killed in violent
attacks. I agree that the need to prevent violence against women, children and
gender-diverse people is a national emergency.
Government action
In 2022, the Federal, State and Territory
Governments released the National Plan to End Violence against Women and
Children 2022-2032, which highlights how all parts of society must work
together to end gender-based violence in one generation.
Last year, the first of two five-year action
plans under the National Plan was released along with a dedicated Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander Action Plan and more than $2 billion in investment
to deliver outcomes.
Investment needs to be directed to all our
diverse communities. With some communities experiencing greater isolation and
barriers to reporting and accessing support to become and stay safe, including
LGBTIQA+, people with disability and culturally and linguistically diverse
communities.
Research also tells us that police and the
courts must do more to protect people who report violence and to stop people
who are abusive and controlling from repeat offences. We need to regulate
damaging industries including pornography and social media where sexual and
gendered violence can be normalised as well as alcohol and gambling, which can
exacerbate violence. We also need to support recovery to prevent
intergenerational trauma and violence.
On 1 May 2024, the beginning of Domestic and
Family Violence Prevention Month, the Federal Government announced a $925
million investment to make the existing Leaving Violence program permanent.
They must ensure financial support under this program is open to all as soon as
possible, not just for those who meet its strict criteria, and is implemented
alongside increased funding for community legal centres and wrap-around
supports that people who need to escape their abuser.
On 7 May 2024, the Domestic, Family and
Sexual Violence Commissioner Micaela Cronin held a crisis meeting with key
organisations to review progress on the Federal Government’s National Plan.
They highlighted the need for urgent action to prioritise housing and to fund
frontline services and recommended the plan is updated to address the
increasing number of women killed and those taking their own lives to escape
violence.
The Commissioner stated that all states and
territories must commit to a coordinated roadmap to implement the plan and she
will host a national roundtable to accelerate actions.
I welcome the NSW Government’s recent
announcement that they will invest $230 million over the next four years
including $73 million towards reforming the NSW justice system to help people
who report violence, including to improving bail laws. They will spend $96
million expanding the Staying Home Leaving Violence program, which helps
prevent homelessness, increase case management support and provide more
specialist support workers for children.
They will also implement prevention and early
intervention strategies to address the drivers of family violence and expand
Domestic Violence NSW, including by teaching young children about healthy
relationships. It is imperative that programs focus on boys and men who are
more commonly the perpetrators of physical violence, sexual harassment and
sexual violence.
The NSW Government has also launched a new
advertising campaign to raise awareness and understanding of coercive control
which is a common form of domestic violence where people who report violence
have their freedoms restricted and controlled. This coincides with coercive
control formally being considered a criminal offence in NSW from July 2024.
Domestic Violence NSW welcomed the
government’s investment but flagged that more stable housing and crisis
accommodation is a vital part of the emergency response to domestic and family
violence. The NSW Government must ensure the gender-based violence sector
remains a priority in the long term and receives continued funding.
City of Sydney support and services in our
area
While responses to domestic and family
violence is the responsibility of the NSW Government and Police, the City leads
and supports interagency networks to improve collaborative responses to
gender-based violence and promote gender equality and respectful and
non-violent relationships benefiting the whole community.
In partnership with the Women and Girls
Emergency Centre, we deliver bystander training for our residents and licensed
premises to equip them with the skills to respond with compassion and report
all violence in our community.
We also work with Domestic Violence NSW and
NSW Police to coordinate quarterly forums across the sectors working to respond
to and reduce violence. During the United Nations 16 Days of Activism
initiative, we help coordinate workshops and education programs in our area to
draw attention to gender-based violence and call for action to challenge
inequality.
We have a foster care program in conjunction
with Sutherland Shire Council Animal Shelter, the Cat Protection Society and
Animal Welfare League NSW to offer temporary emergency accommodation, and
veterinary care for the pets of people fleeing domestic violence.
We provided $1.5 million from our Affordable
and Diverse Housing Fund to HammondCare in Darlinghurst to accommodate people
at risk of homelessness including a dedicated floor for older women. $7.8
million of our Affordable Housing levies has enabled Bridge Housing to provide
and manage dedicated housing for Aboriginal women. We are also selling seven
terrace houses in Darlinghurst at a discount to establish the first dedicated
housing project for transgender women, who are highly at-risk in our community.
We have supported many community
organisations in our area with grant funding. In 2023, we gave over $16,000 to
support a meal service at Lou’s Place in Redfern and $150,000 over three years
towards a Domestic Violence Support Worker at the South Eastern Community
Connect.
However, many are struggling to stay afloat.
Lou’s Place, for example, provides a refuge for a staggering 40 women escaping
violence each day. This essential service relies heavily on volunteers with
only ten paid staff. They receive no regular State Government funding, unlike
other services.
There is a strong and consistent association
between gender inequality and gender-based violence. Financial independence
gives women more options if they find themselves in harmful relationships. At
the City of Sydney, 43 per cent of our workforce is made up of women, and 51
per cent of our leadership roles are held by women. Since 2018, the City has
had a gender pay gap in favour of women.
The City was among the first Australian
organisations to develop and implement a Dealing with Domestic Violence at Work
Policy and offer employees paid leave for medical appointments, legal
proceedings and other activities related to dealing with domestic violence,
which is now mandated at up to 10 days paid leave a year. These leave days help
when it may not be safe to make plans and appointments outside of work hours
and this type of leave isn’t identified on payslips.
These are positive steps, but the legal,
health and shelter services that support women and children to leave violence
must be appropriately funded by Federal and State governments on an ongoing
basis at the same time as a colossal cultural change is needed in Australia.
COUNCILLOR
CLOVER MOORE AO
Lord Mayor
Moved by the Chair (the Lord Mayor), seconded
by Councillor Kok –
It is resolved that:
(A) Council note
that one woman is killed in Australia every four days with at least 28 women
killed in Australia this year alone, many by a current or previous partner;
(B) Council
declares gender-based violence a national emergency;
(C) in
consultation with relevant stakeholders, the Chief Executive Officer be
requested to investigate how the City of Sydney can offer further support for
women, children and gender-diverse people escaping violence through our
Affordable and Diverse Housing Fund, and report back to Council via the CEO
Update; and
(D) the Lord
Mayor be requested to write to the Prime Minister, NSW Premier and other
relevant Federal and State Government Ministers with a copy of this Lord
Mayoral Minute acknowledging their respective funding commitments and urge them
to ensure it is directed to services and housing that support women, children
and gender-diverse people escaping violence as soon as possible.
Carried unanimously.
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