Thursday, 12 September 2024

 Jacinta ERMACORA (Western Victoria) (10:10): Last week I had the pleasure of welcoming the Minister for Prevention of Family Violence Vicki Ward to the south-west coast, where we visited the Orange Door in Warrnambool. Sadly, we must acknowledge that in Warrnambool the rate of family violence is higher than the state average, with a 4.3 per cent jump in the number of reported incidents in the last 12 months. In fact the service has supported more than 8300 people, including more than 3400 children, since it opened in October 2021. The Orange Door provides confidential intake, assessment and referral services for people experiencing family violence. The Orange Door has become a vital service to our community, and I am proud to say that it was the Victorian Labor government that funded it. This investment by the Allan Labor government has truly created a calm and pleasant environment, with much though put into the needs of those seeking help and the staff there who do the help. I very much appreciated listening to the staff with Minister Ward. They had a lot to express about the pressure the service is under and about the inroads they are making. I want to commend the staff for the incredible work they do in preventing and responding to family violence, and I thank the minister for the work she is doing and for her visit to the south-west community.