Cook Government to establish Safe at Home Program for Karratha if re-elected

The Cook Government has made a re-election promise to extend the Safe at Home program to Karratha, aimed at supporting victims of family and domestic violence. The program is designed to undertake risk assessments, safety planning, security upgrades and in-home support for domestic violence victims so they can safely remain in their own homes or a home of their choice. It assists survivors in maintaining stable housing which provides continuity of access to their usual support networks such as workplaces, schools and early learning centres. The announcement was made in Karratha on January 10; marked by a visit from the Prevention of Family and Domestic Violence Minister Sabine Winton. “When we talk about family and domestic violence, lots of people talk about refuges and refuge capacity and that’s absolutely critical, and the government is focused on that,” Ms Winton said. “I was recently in Karratha and it’s great to see Salvation Army’s increased capacity in town, but Safe at Home is a really critically important component, because at the heart, it recognises that women and children have the right to stay at home and that it’s not always safe to do so.” When asked why a Safe at Home Karratha program wasn’t created during the current Cook Government’s tenure, despite Hedland and Kalgoorlie recently securing programs, Ms Winton said it was part of “expanding services that are already working”. “I’ve noticed in the media in the last couple of weeks, a little bit of scepticism around announcements during election time; the Cook Labor Government’s commitment to family domestic violence in the eight years that we’ve been in office is is unmatched,” she said. “We’re talking about $560million of investment over eight years, we have had family domestic violence as a priority for the entire time we’ve been in Government.” Currently, there are nearly 30 jobs advertised for workers in the Pilbara domestic violence space, which Ms Winton said was a continuing challenge for regional areas. “Getting staff to work in family domestic violence is no different to the challenges faced by all industries and all sectors,” she said. “We continue to work hard with our investment in terms of social housing and other housing projects and that’s making a difference in terms of attracting those people here in Karratha. “The Salvation Army have been in it for the long haul, we do everything we can to support them in terms of recruiting those staff.” Pilbara MLA Kevin Michel said the Cook Government has been working on the program for a long time, prioritising victim-survivors and holding perpetrators to account. “This commitment will support Karratha locals to safely stay in their own homes after a dangerous perpetrator has been removed,” he said. The initiative builds on the Cook Government’s $38.6 million FDV package, which also includes reforms to the Restraining Orders Act, making FVRO regimes tougher for perpetrators and easier for victim-survivors engaging in the justice process. People experiencing family and domestic violence can call the Women’s Domestic Violence Helpline 1800 007 339, or Men’s Domestic Violence Helpline 1800 000 599, or the National Helpline 1800 RESPECT.