Bill Shorten says Labor will also develop a 10-year plan to reduce domestic violence

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Bill Shorten has announced Labor will spend $18m on a program to help women be safe from domestic violence in their homes after the federal government refused to extend its funding.

At an Our Watch event on Tuesday evening, Shorten announced the funding to extend the Keeping Women Safe in Their Homes program over three years to 2021-22 and a commitment to develop a 10-year plan to reduce domestic violence.

The Keeping Women Safe in Their Homes program helps women and children live safely away from perpetrators through expert safety assessments, support in enforcing apprehended violence orders and home safety upgrades, such as new locks, alarms, cameras and safety phones.

In September 2015, the Turnbull government granted the program $15.9m over three years in its $100m women’s safety package.

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In October, Department of Social Services witnesses told Senate estimates the package was designed to supplement state and territory spending on domestic violence, confirming that the commonwealth would not continue to fund it.

In a statement Shorten, the shadow minister for women, Tanya Plibersek, and the shadow minister for preventing family violence, Linda Burney, said “everyone deserves to feel safe in their home”.

“Women are more likely to experience violence from a man they know, often in their own home,” they said.

“Women should be able to end violent and abusive relationships as safely and as quickly as possible – this as an immediate and urgent priority and Labor is determined to match our words with practical measures like this.”

Shorten also committed to ensure family violence remains in the national focus by developing a 10-year national plan and pushing for law reform through the Council of Australian Governments.

“A new national plan will serve as a timely reminder of the complex and pervasive nature of family violence, and that we all have roles and responsibilities in its prevention – federal, state and local; government and non-government; families and communities,” he said.

In October the Western Australian government committed emergency funding to continue the Keeping Women Safe in Their Homes program but complained that the money could be used to fund other domestic violence prevention measures if the federal government extended its commitment.