Thursday, 14 November 2024

Ministers statements: victims assistance program

Enver ERDOGAN (Northern Metropolitan – Minister for Corrections, Minister for Youth Justice, Minister for Victim Support) (12:22): I rise today to update the house on my recent visits to partners delivering the government’s victims assistance program. The victims assistance program has been designed to provide trauma-informed supports to address the varied needs of victims. The program provides practical support, advocacy and case management, including helping victims to navigate the criminal justice process and access therapeutic services.

I had the privilege of visiting DPV Health in Melbourne’s north, an exceptional healthcare service that delivers a culturally safe victims assistance program. I also had the opportunity to visit the Sexual Assault and Family Violence Centre in Geelong, where I was joined by the hardworking members for the districts of Lara and Geelong. The Allan Labor government is proud to be able to partner with fantastic organisations such as these two to deliver the victims assistance program to those who need it the most. DPV Health is one of Victoria’s largest not-for-profit organisations providing an extensive range of health services. In their first year they have provided support to over a thousand victims in the Northern Metropolitan Region and are working towards supporting more people. The Sexual Assault and Family Violence Centre, another community based not-for-profit, offers a range of sexual assault and family violence services. In their first year they supported more than 500 newly referred victims in the Geelong region. It was great to talk with the teams at these two organisations and hear firsthand the insights on the victims assistance program, because the Allan Labor government is committed to listening to the voices of victims and their advocates and to continually improving services such as these. I look forward to the future achievements of DPV Health and the Sexual Assault and Family Violence Centre as well as other delivery partners of the victims assistance program.