Funding increases for family and sexual violence services will help support people seeking support, says one of the recipients.
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On Saturday the federal government announced services in Tasmania would receive $1.5 million in additional funding as part of a national partnership to respond to the need created by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The funding will support 15 projects across the state including specialised support services, the creation of a podcast series and an app to support help seeking behaviour for people who resort to violence.
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Engendered Equality chief executive officer Alina Thomas said the extra funding would allow them to shorten their waiting list.
"Engender equality has been in the position for a number of years now where we haven't been able to meet the demand for our services in a timely fashion," she said.
"When people reach out for support for family violence, that is a really courageous thing to do, if we are not able to respond immediately or there is a long wait for services it can be a deterrent.
"This money will help us to shorten the wait time for services, to be able to respond to requests more quickly and it is really necessary."
She said coming out of lockdown they were expecting more people to reach out to support services.
"There has been a fair bit of attention recently given to the police statistics and a recognition that people aren't necessarily going to the police when they are needing support," Ms Thomas said.
"That really emphasises the need for us to build the capacity, build the resourcing to offer specialist services so that there are alternatives.
"This is a time that might be a catalyst to relationships ending. It might be a time when abuse has escalated in prevalence or severity, so as people are now able to reemerge from lockdown we are noticing that there are more and more people coming forward."
Tasmanian Liberal Senator Claire Chandler said the government was working to prevent family violence and protect people at risk.
"Family and domestic violence has a devastating impact on individuals, families, and the community, and this funding forms part of the government's approach to prevent incidents and assist those affected by this scourge," she said.
Premier Peter Gutwein said the federal funding would help build on other initiatives already in place throughout Tasmania.
"We are investing $26 million over three years to deliver the next stage of our comprehensive plan to prevent and respond to family and sexual violence in Tasmania," he said.
"The plan clearly outlines a vision for our state where all Tasmanians are safe, equal and respected and our homes, families and communities are free from all forms of family and sexual violence and this funding will help support the work that is already underway."
- If you or someone you know is impacted by family violence, call the Safe at Home Family Violence Response and Referral Line on 1800 633 937 or visit the 1800RESPECT website. In an emergency, call 000.
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