Family violence
Renee HEATH (Eastern Victoria) (09:42): I rise to speak for the women and children that this government has left behind. Two weeks ago the Premier told the chamber she was proud to stand with victims of domestic violence, but standing with victims means more than standing for just a photo; it means funding services that keep people safe, not cutting them. Yet the government has cut $32.5 million from primary prevention programs. They have stripped $169.4 million from housing assistance. They have delayed key housing projects, including crisis accommodation, refuge redevelopments and an Aboriginal family violence refuge in the Wimmera. These are not just numbers on a page, they are women that are forced back into danger, children returned to fear and communities left without support. The government that truly stands with victim-survivors does not just walk away from their options. It does not just leave them behind. It expands them. No woman should be turned away. No child should be left in harm’s way, and no Premier should claim compassion while walking away from those who need it most.