Hume and Whittlesea councils have told the state government’s Royal Commission into Family Violence that frontline services are stretched to the limit in Melbourne’s north.
The councils’ submissions detailed ways the government could address family violence and its impacts, pointing out the pervasiveness of the issue for councils where populations are booming.
Whittlesea and Hume councils are two of the fastest growing municipalities in Australia and both experience some of the highest reported incidents of family violence in the state.
The councils highlighted risk factors that may underpin family violence, including financial hardship, alcohol and illicit drug use, weak social connections, a lack of social cohesion and women’s financial dependence.
Whittlesea’s submission contained 11 recommendations and called on the state government to recognise the specific contextual factors that all growth councils face.
Recommendations included expanding court-mandated counselling to include Melbourne’s north and offering more programs that target men’s behaviour.
It also asked the state government to set up and resource safe places for victims, put in a 24-hour police station in areas with high levels of family violence, and instigate school-based respectful relationship programs.
At a council meeting last week, Whittlesea councillor Kris Pavlidis stressed that the council and state government need to act urgently to address family violence in the northern growth corridor.
“We need to remember that the alarming statics that come to our attention are only the 30 per cent of those are reported,” she said.
Hume council’s submission made six recommendations, including helping empower communities to respond to domestic violence and help for both victims and perpetrators.
The council also called on the state government to provide resources that reflect the severity of the issue. It called for investments in campaigns that promote equal and respectful relationships between men and women.
Submissions to the Royal Commission closed last Friday.
