More than 1000 criminal cases of domestic violence have been recorded in the Illawarra in the 2014-15 financial year.
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Opposition spokesman for the Illawarra Ryan Park said despite this figure being consistently over 1000, the NSW Liberal Government had failed to implement its new Safer Pathway program in the region.
It Stops Here Safer Pathway focuses on preventing domestic and family violence and strengthening the criminal justice system response. A key element is looking at how support is provided to ensure the safety of victims and their children.
“We have seen the number of reported cases of domestic violence well over 1000 for the past three years.
‘’This figure in reality is much higher when you take into account the number of incidents that go unreported. This is not a figure our region can be proud of,” Mr Park said.
“The NSW Liberal Government set about closing services, including in the Illawarra. They have introduced a program … and completely ignored the need for this program to be expanded into the Illawarra.
“This program has been extended and our region has missed out while an area such as Tweed Heads that has lower incidents has had it introduced,” he said.
Mr Park urged the Minister for Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, Pru Goward, to ensure the program is rolled out in the Illawarra ‘’as a matter of urgency’’.
Ms Goward’s spokeswoman said the first sites were launched in Orange and Waverley in 2014 and expanded to Tweed Heads, Parramatta, Bankstown and Broken Hill.
‘’Before we roll out … across the state we will continue to test and refine the model to suit the needs of each community,’’ she said.