Victoria鈥檚 purpose-built $580 million Mickleham Post Entry Quarantine Centre聽closed early last month, after just eight months in operation.
The聽underutilised and mostly empty facility offers a perfect opportunity to provide a temporary home for women escaping domestic violence, Sue Bolton told 91自拍论坛.
Bolton, a long-term councillor in Merri-bek is the .
The facility has a total of 1000 beds and, even if a proportion of these were made available, it would alleviate pressure on other services and offer a safe haven in a period of crisis, Bolton said.
At the moment many women and their children are forced to sleep聽in their cars or on friend鈥檚 couches while they try to rebuild their lives.
The accommodation centre could help them at a difficult time and allow聽an opportunity to find more permanent accommodation.
鈥淎 centre like Mickleham would make it easier for other services on site to help such women," Bolton said. "It could operate as a hub for information, medical services, legal aid and financial aid at the same time.鈥
With many women struggling to access the federal government鈥檚 $5000 escaping violence payment, a safe place to live while the payment is聽being processed is essential, Bolton said.
The estimates that more than 50 children and women have been killed so far this year 鈥 20 classed from domestic violence and 18 from聽intimate partner violence.
The federal government鈥檚 Standing Committee on Social and Legal Affairs reported in March last year that, on average, one woman dies every eight days at the hands of her partner or former partner.
The Mickleham Centre will be managed by the federal government as of January 1 and its use will be decided then.
Bolton said: 鈥淪topping gender and family violence is going to be difficult, but one important step would be to expand funding for women's refuges and community anti-violence campaigns.鈥