THECity of Maribyrnong will be asked to help establish an Australia-wide local government policy to prevent violence against women.
The program is one of only four in the state taking part in research to develop a policy with an integrated approach to violence prevention.
VicHealth has awarded $30,000 to support the combined community and Maribyrnong City Council program to develop strategies to submit to the local government policy.
Maribyrnong Safety Taskforce representative Councillor Catherine Cumming said the group was working closely with support organisations and using a range of strategies to tackle the issue.
“Preventing violence against women needs to be addressed by all levels of government and we at Maribyrnong City Council are firmly committed to any action that can help reduce this serious and often hidden problem,” she said.
Statistics show while the region accounts for 13.2 per cent of Victoria’s population, 21 per cent of the Women’s Domestic Violence Crisis Service clients come from the West.