“Instead of asking ‘why did she stay?’ we need to ask ‘where could she go?’”

Reframing the question of what options victims of family and domestic violence have in deciding to leave is behind Labor’s latest policy announcement which would see $60m committed to a program which helps tailor support packages for families needing to rebuild their lives.

Building on a Victorian initiative, first put in place in 2016, flexible support packages help survivors of family and domestic violence build new lives, be it through money for housing, transport, utilities, medical care or security.

In previewing the announcement, which will officially be made later on Monday, Bill Shorten said the $60m commitment over four years, will fund around 20,000 packages, with the money to come from Labor’s banking fairness fund, a levy it plans on imposing on the banks to fund community improvement schemes, including increasing financial literacy.

“We need to invest in more support for women fleeing violence at home, so that financial barriers aren’t the reason victims are trapped in a violent relationship,” Shorten said in a statement.

“Instead of asking, ‘why did she stay?’ we need to ask ‘where could she go?’

“These packages are about helping people keep their life together in the most difficult of circumstances, keeping the kids in the school they know, keeping the family doctor, being able to work and study. Dealing with violence is hard enough without the real fear that every other part of your life will fall apart too.”

Victoria extended its program last year, with the majority of packages coming in at under $5,000, with community providers reporting help with housing as one of the most common requests. A similar program operates in the ACT.

Applicants sit down with their case worker to discuss a safety plan, with the main outcome of any grant the ongoing safety of the person and their family, with the goal to help prevent victims from believing returning to a potentially violent situation is their only option.

Money has been used to pay overdue utility bills, which have been left in the person’s name after they have left the home, to help them set up their new account in their new home, as well as school uniforms, keeping cars serviced and rent and bond payments.

The average grant in Victoria has been $3,000, with the federal program expected to follow the same pattern. The money does not have to be repaid.

The government has also moved to help women, in particular, tackle their worsened financial situation following family and domestic violence, with Kelly O’Dwyer announcing measures late last year to help provide access to “services, lawyers and the courts to resolve their family law disputes”.

The government scheme included ongoing funding for Legal Aid programs, banning cross-examination in family law courts by the alleged perpetrator of violence and easier access to mediation services to avoid court when splitting property.

O’Dwyer also successfully legislated five days of family and domestic violence workplace leave, protecting victims who need to take time off, but the time off is unpaid.

The government plan also aimed to help domestic and family violence survivors deal with their difficult financial situations by extending early access to superannuation, as well committing to the ongoing support of the Good Shepherd micro-finance no-interest loan scheme.

But critics of the government proposal highlighted the ongoing cost to those who had fled violent home situations, either through the loss of their superannuation, or having to repay loans, while rebuilding their lives.

As the shadow minister for preventing family violence, Linda Burney has led the push within Labor to address family and domestic violence, describing it as a “national scourge, a national crisis and a national shame”.

“The status quo is unacceptable,” she said late last year. “Preventing violence against women requires fundamental cultural and attitudinal change through awareness and education of both young and old [and] this means sustained effort over the long term.”

Our Watch reports on average one woman a week is murdered in Australia by her current or former partner, with one in three women having experienced physical violence against them since the age of 15, while one in five will have experienced sexual assault.

Women in Australia are almost three times as likely as men to experience violence from their partner, four times as likely to be hospitalised, while one in six Australian women will have experienced physical or sexual abuse by either their current or former partner.