Advertisement

Billion-dollar fix: Albanese announces $5000 ‘escape money’, five-year DV reforms

Women looking to escape violent relationships will be able to access $5000 financial support through an almost $1 billion package, as part of national cabinet measures tackling domestic abuse.

May 01, 2024, updated May 01, 2024
A general view of people attending a rally to a call for action to end violence against women outside Parliament House in Canberra, Sunday, April 28, 2024. (AAP Image/Lukas Coch)

A general view of people attending a rally to a call for action to end violence against women outside Parliament House in Canberra, Sunday, April 28, 2024. (AAP Image/Lukas Coch)

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese met with state and territory leaders on ways to reduce gendered violence in Sydney on Wednesday.

Under the reforms, the federal government will provide $925 million over five years to set up the Leaving Violence Program, which will provide financial aid and support referrals to women looking to remove themselves from harm.

The measures are to be funded in the May federal budget.

Those eligible will be able to access $5000 in support, with $1500 paid in cash and $3500 made up of goods and services, to be indexed in coming years.

National cabinet also agreed to implement measures addressing misogyny online, specifically aimed at young people.

As part of the move, laws will be introduced to ban the creation and distribution of deepfake pornography.

A pilot program will be set up for age assurance technology to block access for children to online content such as pornography.

A review of the online safety act will also be carried out a year ahead of schedule.

National cabinet will hold a further meeting on domestic and family violence in the next financial quarter.

Mr Albanese said tangible action was needed.

“This is indeed a national crisis and it’s a national challenge, and we’re facing this with a spirit of national unity,” he told reporters.

“We want to change this in a way in which we all have to take responsibility because violence against women is not a women’s problem to solve, it’s a whole of society problem.

“Men in particular have to take responsibility.”

Leaders agreed to strengthen system responses to domestic and family violence, with a focus on high-risk and serial offenders, as well information sharing about perpetrators between jurisdictions.

The council of police ministers and standing council of attorneys-general will look at options to improve police responses to gendered violence, as well

The snap national cabinet meeting followed a recent surge in gendered homicide, with thousands marching across the country in protest.

The prime minister said action to address misogynistic content online was needed to ensure laws could catch up to technology.

“We can’t afford to set and forget, we need to continue to look at what are the challenges and how do we overcome them,” he said.

“Parents are terribly concerned about their children and what they’re seeing online.”

A new online ad campaign challenging misogynistic stereotypes perpetuated on the internet will be rolled out from mid-June until May 2025.

Mr Albanese said while the measures agreed to at national cabinet were a good step forward, there was still a long way to go.

“Can we be satisfied when a woman is losing her life on average every four days? Of course not,” he said.

“I’ll be satisfied when we eliminate this as an issue, when we’re not talking about this as an issue where women are not feeling as though they have to mobilise in rallies.”

1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)

Lifeline 13 11 14

Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 (for people aged 5 to 25)

Local News Matters
Advertisement
Copyright © 2024 InQueensland.
All rights reserved.
Privacy Policy