1 July 2019

Will Hodgman, Premier

Family and sexual violence plan receives record funding

The Liberal Government is strongly committed to preventing and responding to family and sexual violence in Tasmania.

$26 million over three years will be invested to deliver the next stage of our comprehensive plan, with significant new supports and services across the state.

The new Action Plan includes initiatives to address sexual violence for the first time in Tasmania, which often intersects with family violence, but also requires separate responses.

Safe Homes, Families Communities includes 40 actions to prevent and respond to family and sexual violence in Tasmania, including:

• increased investment in primary prevention, including establishing a new Our Watch Primary Prevention Officer in Tasmania, which is a national first partnership model;
• delivering a new Problem Sexual Behaviours (PSB) and Sexually Abusive Behaviours (SAB) program for children and young people;
• developing a new family and sexual violence website – a single information portal about the range of services and support now available in Tasmania and another first;
• providing additional counselling services for children and young people;
• rolling out mobile phone data extraction devices for use by Tasmania Police in response to technology-facilitated abuse - the devices mean that victim-survivors are not required to give up their mobile phones for extended periods so that data can be extracted for evidentiary purposes;
• extending the forensic medical examination (FME) service for adult family violence victim-survivors to the North-West, creating a state-wide service;
• strengthening the Defendant Health Liaison Service to provide early intervention to offenders to assist them to change their behaviour and reduce recidivism;
• introducing the ability to require mandated behaviour change program participation as part of a Family Violence Order; and
• implementing further legislative reform to strengthen our legal responses to family and sexual violence.

We will also be undertaking a feasibility study for a disclosure scheme in Tasmania, which would enable people who may be at risk of family violence to find out if their current partner has a history of family violence.

The Action Plan is the result of a comprehensive service system review, which included consultation with hundreds of people with lived experience, and frontline workers from government and non-government services that prevent and respond to family and sexual violence.

I sincerely thank and acknowledge them for their input into this critical Action Plan.

For more information, visit: www.dpac.tas.gov.au/safehomesfamiliescommunities

If you or someone you know is impacted by family violence call the Safe at Home Response and Referral Line on 1800 633 937.

If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual violence call the Statewide Sexual Assault Support Service on 1800 MY SUPPORT (1800 697 877).

In an emergency, always call 000.

For further information visit www.1800respect.org.au

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