Minister for Women Michaelia Cash and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull have announced a $100m women's safety package aimed at combating domestic violence.
Mr Turnbull and Ms Cash were joined by domestic violence campaigner Rosie Batty and former Victoria Police commissioner Ken Lay in Melbourne today to announce the package.
"I believe this sends a very, very clear message to the Australian people that this government places respect for women and gender equality and domestic violence absolutely at the forefront of its agenda," Ms Cash said.
"The commitment of this government … is that all women should feel safe in their home, should be safe on the streets and should be safe online.
"I hope that is the mission of all of us across Australia." Some key aspects of the new package are:
• $17m to expanding existing programs aimed at keeping women safe at the home, including improving access to CCTV and locks.
• $5m to the 1800 RESPECT hotline
• $2m to MensLine services
• $21m to help Indigenous women and those in remote communities
• A $12m trial with state governments to use GPS tracking for high-risk domestic violence offenders
• $5m to 20,000 mobile phones across Australia for women whose access to technology is compromised
• $5m to developing and improving the Safe Schools website
• Improved training for frontline services, including general practitioners, doctors, nurse, magistrates and police
• Identifying domestic violence hotspots
