Thursday, 4 June 2026

 Sarah MANSFIELD (Western Victoria) (12:53): (2369) My question is for the Minister for Prevention of Family Violence. Recently, a mental health professional from Melton shared with me that when they refer western-based clients for therapeutic family violence counselling, they have two options, IPC Health or Cohealth. One currently has a waiting list of approximately eight months; the other is not accepting referrals at all. By contrast, clients in much of the metro Melbourne region have access to multiple providers offering the same therapeutic service – for example, FamilyLife, the Salvation Army, Better Health Network, Good Shepherd and others. This means women and families in different postcodes in Victoria are having an entirely different experience of the system. Minister, will you commit to a formal needs assessment of therapeutic family violence services in Melton to ensure that access to services is equitable and matched to needs in the local community?