Victorian Premier Steve Bracks' Labor government is putting pressure on non-governmental community services organisations to make "productivity savings" in order to enable annual cuts to the Department of Human Services (DHS) budget over the next three years.
According to the Council for Homeless Persons, the proposed "productivity savings" will mean a $4.3 million cut in DHS funding between the 2003-04 and 2005-06 financial years for community organisations that assist the homeless.
One of the major victims of these cutbacks will be women who are victims of domestic violence. For over a year domestic violence service agencies have been engaged in numerous meetings and discussions on proposed models for the proposed "productivity savings".
One of the proposed models is a "front door service" — regionally based drop-in centres for those who are homeless. The person seeking assistance will be referred to a specialist dealing with issues such as domestic violence or drug abuse. Current domestic violence and other services for the homeless will be required to provide the staff for these new centres.
At the moment Victoria has a wide range of domestic violence services that specialise in different areas. These services provide assistance to women who have fled their homes until the time they are able to function independently again in the community. Domestic violence workers can take on up to 20 cases at one time.
All of the domestic violence services are stretched for resources. To get into a refuge, women must be facing a life or death situation. As a result, many women seeking assistance are turned away on a daily basis.
Now, the Bracks government wants the domestic violence services to provide staff for its newly proposed "front door services" — without providing any extra funding to hire more staff. In fact, the DHS has been encouraging the existing domestic violence service organisations to engage in fund-raising activities or seek funding from businesses sources.
The most oppressed and disadvantaged group of women are migrant women and asylum seekers who currently have little or no access to welfare. Women's domestic violence agencies have in the past been able to provide money to enable these women to purchase for themselves and their children.
If the Bracks government succeeds in pushing through its human services' "productivity savings" plan, these types of extra services will be once again left to the church-based benevolence societies, which are usually the most willing to co-operate with the government in cost cutting and, therefore, first in line for government funding.
Prior to the "second wave" of feminism in the 1970s, women's refuges were run by Christian organisations. During the upsurge of feminist campaigning in the 1970s, many secular women's services agencies were set up to avoid the sexist religious indoctrination that went along with the Christian-controlled women's services.
The Bracks Labor government was elected on promises to improve social services. However, in its last budget, the government allocated $1 billion for the 2006 Commonwealth games, but made a cut of $40 million in spending for homeless Victorians.
From 91×ÔÅÄÂÛ̳ Weekly, July 30, 2003.
BY ANGELA VECCHIO
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