By Cameron Weston
THE Bracks Government has committed $9.5 million to improve its family violence support system, focusing specifically on the northern and western suburbs.
Help centres near Hobsons Bay were included in the funding, notably Women’s Health West in Footscray, which will get $3,085,949, and Western Region Health Centre $491,368.
Police statistics show incidents of family violence have dropped in Hobsons Bay, with an 11.3 per cent year-on-year fall from 2003/4 to 2004/5.
The figures show there were 519 incidents of family violence in Hobsons Bay reported to police in 2004/5, against 585 in 2003/4. However, this trend was not mirrored in the neighbouring municipality of Brimbank, where there were 1106 incidents reported in 2004/5 – an increase of 21.8 per cent.
There were 444 reports that year in Maribyrnong but a year-on-year increase of 8 per cent.
Housing minister Candy Broad said there were almost 30,000 incidents of domestic violence reported every year to Victoria Police, a number that did not reflect the true extent of the problem.
“Only an estimated 20 per cent of family violence incidents are ever reported, meaning that an additional 120,000 incidents every year may not be reported to the police.
“Family violence leads to more death, disability and illness in Victorian women aged 15 to 44 years than any other factor,” Ms Broad said.
