The Illawarra's women are no longer willing to wait: Editorial

There's a plan for that help. It's called the Women's Trauma Recovery Centre. Led by Illawarra Women's Health Centre executive director Sally Stevenson the centre has operational funding - $25m over five years from the federal government.

It's ready to get to work.

But work can't start until the trauma centre has a physical home, and right now, it looks like it could be a minimum of two years away.

In two years, 104 women will have died at the hands of their partners.

In today's Illawarra Mercury, we outline the fight Ms Stevenson has had to firm up a public verbal commitment made by NSW Minister for Health Brad Hazzard to provide space for the centre at the old Port Kembla Hospital site in Warrawong.

A letter sent to Ms Stevenson from Brad Hazzard's office leaves plenty of wriggle-room for a government which may or may not have a seat at the table in a few weeks' time. What is clear is the women of the Illawarra have a long wait on their hands if they rely on the current NSW state government to provide a workable solution to address a dire lack of services for a region struggling with domestic violence.

And the women of the Illawarra are no longer willing to wait.

The 2022 federal election was the women's election and the battle lines are being drawn for the NSW state election. Heathcote, Kiama, Shellharbour and the South Coast are all areas that will directly benefit from the Women's Trauma Recovery Centre and where votes are not cut and dry.

So, candidates listen up. Good faith promises are required. Contracts need to be written, timelines need to be drawn up, and money needs to be put on the table.

Every week we drag our feet, another woman who should have lived dies.

- Gayle Tomlinson

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