South-eastern MP Rachel Payne has welcomed $80 million in the state budget to support victim-survivors of family violence, including specialised case management.
Ms Payne, a member of the Legalise Cannabis Party, had called on the Treasurer to invest in financial counselling services for domestic violence victim-survivors.
“Casey, in my electorate has the highest level of domestic violence in Victoria, Frankston and Dandenong are also in the top 10 local government areas in the state,” she said.
“Domestic violence predominantly impacts women, and women who are leaving violent relationships must be supported to rebuild their lives and gain financial independence for themselves and their family.
“I petitioned the Treasurer to increase family violence financial counselling funding. I’m happy to see more money going into specialised case management for survivors. I know the devastating impact domestic violence has on my electorate. Domestic violence survivors need ongoing support to rebuild their lives and of course their confidence after leaving their relationship.
“Good services are integral to the long-term recovery of survivors and their children. I welcome the $80 million to support survivors and deliver specialised case management, and I also note there is also $3.2 million for continued funding of the Victims’ Legal Service, a specialised legal service for victim survivors.”
Ms Payne said securing housing was the priority of most women leaving violent relationships.
“The budget allocated $61 million in additional funding to support Victorians experiencing homelessness, but the housing crisis means that women experiencing family violence who have found the courage to leave too often end up homeless,” she said.
She called on both the Victorian and Federal government to fast-tack social housing.
“The federal government needs to build 240,000 new dwellings a year to meet its target of 1.2 million new homes by 2029,” she said. “New ABS figures show that since the Housing Accord was implement in 2024, only about 90,000 new dwellings have been completed. That’s just not good enough.”
Wednesday the 11th of June, 2025
Related:
> Establish a family violence taskforce – Rachel Payne
> South-East taskforce needed to stop region’s family violence epidemic – Rachel Payne
> Rise in family violence intervention order breaches – Rachel Payne
> Family Violence Intervention Order Breaches – Rachel Payne
> Gendered Violence Accountability – Rachel Payne
> Support Services – Rachel Payne
