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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2024
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■ Local MLA Annabelle Cleeland last week called on family violence victims to be able to access priority housing under the current system without having to first distribute or sell assets to qualify. “The system is making it near impossible for women fleeing family violence to access these services without first selling their house or losing assets through divorce or separation,” Ms Cleeland told State Parliament. “In some cases these are women on disability pensions who are caring for their children who are also victims of family violence. “Many of these women are living in unsafe circumstances with their children. “While leaving the situation is the safest option, it has a high chance it will result in homelessness. “The chronic limitations on affordable and social housing mean that victim-survivors of family violence are frequently forced to choose between staying in a violent relationship or becoming homeless. “The lack of affordable housing in this state undermines our family violence systems to protect victim-survivors. “In 2016 the Victorian Royal Commission recognised that family violence was the number one cause of homelessness for women and children and subsequently made eight recommendations to improve victim-survivors’ access to accommodation, including upgrading family violence refuge and crisis accommodation; increasing access to safe, at-home responses and private rental brokerage; and initiatives to fasttrack victim-survivors into long-term housing and out-of-crisis accommodation. “Instead, in the past decade the housing waitlist for women escaping family violence has increased 300 per cent, from eight months to more than 24 months, with no end in sight. “That is two years of living in cars, couch surfing or on the street as they escape an unimaginable situation, or two years remaining in an unsafe, violent situation. “Tara, a woman in my electorate, is a heartbreaking example of this. While being in an ongoing family violence situation which has included police visits, intervention orders against her ex-husband and regular contact with local services, “Tara is stuck in a near-impossible situation. Despite ongoing family violence and regular contact with local services, Tara’s house will be sold in two months, leaving her and her children homeless. Services have failed to provide her with safe housing options, and she is frightened, living in danger and angry about the lack of assistance by all services.
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● Annabelle Cleeland, Euroa MLA “Serious changes must be made before more lives are lost to family violence. “Support for social housing in regional areas is dangerously inadequate. “Family violence remains the leading cause of homelessness in my electorate, with 348 women seeking Beyond Housing services last year. “During Homelessness Week this month, over 2500 people from the Ovens–Murray and Goulburn region were on the Victorian Housing Register waitlist – half of them priority applicants. “People often ask: why does she stay? But tonight, I ask the minister: where does she go?” Ms Cleeland said.
Epping-Kilmore Rd needs fix: MLC
■ Northern Victoria MLC Wendy Lovell is again pressuring the Allan State Government to fix Epping-Kilmore Rd. “When will the Government respond to repeated calls to fix the C729, the EppingKilmore Road?” Ms Lovell asked in State Parliament last week. “The stretch of the Epping-Kilmore Rd between Donnybrook Rd and the Hume Freeway at Wandong is in a disgraceful condition. It is a 100-kmh road with sections with a reduced speed limit of 40-kmgh because of supposed roadworks, but no roadworks are actually going on,” Ms Lovell said.