Survivor advocacy was integral to a women-centric budget that has been widely welcomed by the family violence sector, Tasmanian advocates say.
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The work of Brittany Higgins, Grace Tame, Rosie Batty and the family of Hannah Clarke has been heralded for instigating a national conversation that led to a $1.1 billion budget package to counter family violence and sexual abuse.
Women's Legal Service Chief Executive Yvette Cehtel said the budget was the best she had seen in a long time.
Ms Cehtel said it was not just money that was a positive in the budget, but the national conversation about gender and gendered violence it maintained.
"It's not just about money either, its about cultural change and leadership and I'm really hoping all of our leaders - at Commonwealth, state and local level - can model appropriate behaviours," she said.
She said the major ticks from her point of view were a four-year commitment of funding and money directed towards specialist women's legal services.
"Thats a funding line that hasn't been always supported and it means lost more women and children can be assisted," she said.
Ms Cehtel said the funding of specialist legal services, extended funding commitments, recognition of the importance of primary and early prevention and discussions about workplace harassment arising from the budget were the big ticks for her.
She said $4.7 million set aside in the budget to "strengthen criminal justice responses to sexual assault, sexual harassment and coercive control" was equally important.
While overall the budget was positive, Ms Cehtel said ensuring "gender responsive budgeting" remained was imperative to ensure the words became actions.
Once it's allocated we need to track and monitor the gender equality outcomes from the spend and monitor what the impacts are out in the community.
- Yvette Cehtel, Women's Legal Service Tasmania chief executive
Part of that, she said, was involving women with lived experience informed and reviewed what the spends looked like.
FEDERAL BUDGET RELATED NEWS
Laurel House acting chief executive Frances Pratt said investments in family violence services would make a difference in the lives of many, and that services like Laurel House benefitted from the package.
"The impact of additional investment enables organisations such as Laurel House to continue to operate and expand services reliant on the government funding our team to provide ongoing, accessible, timely and much needed support," she said.
Societal issues of violence and abuse are everybody's responsibility and an investment from the federal government gives our community a mandate to act.
- Frances Pratt, Laurel House acting chief executive
White Ribbon Australia executive director Brad Chilcott said while the budget was a step forward, more needed to be done culturally to maintain progress made by the "bravery and persistence of survivor advocates and women's advocates over decades".
"It must now be followed up with comprehensive whole-of-government reforms on gender inequality and the key drivers of gendered violence," he said.
A touch under $165 million was devoted to women fleeing family violence situations through enabling cash payments of up to $1500 and $3500 payments for goods and bills to be made.
The government's emergency accommodation initiative Safe Places was buoyed by a $12.6 million injection and the ongoing early intervention campaign Stop It At The Start received $35.1 million to continue and expand.
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