Latest news with #Stojkovski
West Australian
3 days ago
- General
- West Australian
Long-promised Broome One Stop Domestic Violence Hub officially opens
The hub, named Bibimbiya Jan-ga Buru, meaning women and children's healing place in Yawuru language, is located at 19 Barker Street and provides a one stop entry point for a range of specialist supports for people experiencing family and domestic violence, including advocacy, counselling, legal assistance, and support for children. Service delivery is led by Men's Outreach Service Aboriginal Corporation, operating as Family Outreach Service, in partnership with Anglicare WA and service alliance members Nirrumbuk Aboriginal Corporation, Jalygurr Guwan Aboriginal Corporation, Broome CIRCLE and Legal Aid WA. The $23 million project also provides family and domestic violence outreach services to Derby and Bidyadanga. Ms Stojkovski said domestic violence has a devastating impact on families and breaking the cycle requires targeted services in primary prevention and early intervention like which is offered at the hub. 'The securing of a suitable property to house the Broome Family and Domestic Violence One Stop Hub is a significant milestone and will ensure victim-survivors can access a range of supports and get the assistance that's right for them, including cultural support and healing services, all from the single location,' she said. 'By co-locating key support with other community services, a 'soft' entry point is created, reducing stigma attached to seeking assistance.' It comes as the Kimberley continues to record the highest rates of domestic violence in the State, with 11,912 offences per 100,000 people in 2023-24, more than 15 times the Perth metropolitan area rate of 756 per 100,000 people. Despite this, the Broome location is some 18-months behind its originally announced opening date of late 2023 and was the last DV hub to start delivering interim services in November 2024. It is the third hub to open its dedicated facility in WA behind Kalgoorlie and Mirrabooka, which were officially launched in December 2020 and Perth in October 2024 after being announced in April 2024. An Armadale hub, announced at the same time as the Broome hub in 2022, started delivering interim services in September 2023 and is expected to transfer into full service delivery in 2025. Ms Stojkovski said the delay in finding a location for the Broome Hub was due to logistical challenges and the need to find a culturally appropriate site. 'It was logistics more than anything else, it took a long time to find a culturally appropriate place,' she said. Asked whether there was potential for another hub in Derby near where a woman was allegedly murdered by a man known to her in April, Ms Stojkovski said a lack of funding remained a barrier. 'If there was no restriction on money, we would have a hub everywhere but that's not feasible in a State such as WA,' she said. MOSAC chief executive Peter Mitchell said it had been a balancing act between finding an appropriate location and delivering the service in a timely manner. 'Going back to the whole issue of delay . . . we needed to get this right and not offer a half-baked option,' he said. 'The balance has been to make sure that we've got all the correct staff and all the resources we need before pushing it out to the general public while also recognising there are women still being harmed and you can't just close the door. So it's been a balancing act.' He also recognised funding was an issue, but said more services were needed to tackle domestic violence in remote areas. 'Let's acknowledge that there aren't enough services. The community would like more services, particularly outside of the Broome,' Mr Mitchell said. 'This is a great facility and we do have outreach services in Derby and Bidyadanga, but there's so many other places that also require that.' Acknowledging the delay, Kimberley MLA Divina D'Anna said there was no one solution in tackling domestic violence. 'I do understand that it is a long time coming, and I'd also like to put on record that this is not the silver bullet,' she said. 'There are services in Broome and in outreach . . . in Kununurra and Derby. So there are services. Everyone's playing their part to try and get ahead of this.' It comes as a landmark study into men and domestic violence from the Australian Institute of Family Studies was released on June 3. The study found 35 per cent of men aged 18-65 years have used intimate partner violence in their lifetime, with an estimated 120,000 men nationally each year starting to use it for the first time. It also found men who reported high levels of social support 'all of the time' were 26 per cent less likely to report using intimate partner violence. Federal Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek said early intervention was key to preventing domestic violence. 'We want to stop intimate partner violence before it starts. To do so, we need to do more than respond to it, we need to understand it,' she said. 'That's why this data from Ten to Men is so important. By providing an understanding of what may lead to men using violence, the study gives us a better chance of identifying those at risk of offending and intervening to ensure the healthy development of young men and boys.'
Sydney Morning Herald
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘We want women to defend their rights in court:' Minister defends coercive control law plan
The newly minted minister tasked with addressing Western Australia's record rates of family and domestic violence believes the state is on track to improving women's lives, but has resisted giving a date for criminalising coercive control. Responding to the 9 News Perth special series Turning Point: Lessons from Floreat, which highlighted the issue of family and domestic violence, Prevention of Family and Domestic Violence Minister Jessica Stojkovski said talking about these crimes shouldn't be taboo. 'There is a lot of work that is happening that is improving the lives of women. It's not a perfect solution, nothing is in a community, but I think the things that our government has been doing is implementing those incremental steps,' Stojkovski said. 'Every time we open up conversations, it's a good thing … it's a responsibility of everyone in our society to look after people.' One woman in Australia loses her life to domestic violence every nine days, while Western Australia has the second-highest rate of the crime in the country. In her first sit-down interview since taking on the portfolio, Stojkovski said the damning statistics were due to a number of factors. 'We have started these conversations and these conversations have led to more awareness about family and domestic violence, and awareness ultimately leads to more reports,' Stojkovski said. On the opening episode of Turning Point, harrowing audio of a triple-zero call from a nine-year-old child to WA Police revealed the trauma of family and domestic violence. 'Hello, police emergency? Yes, my mum, my dad is beating my mum up … can you be quiet? My mum is hurt, please help … my dad hit my mum in the stomach or in the head.'
The Age
23-05-2025
- Politics
- The Age
‘We want women to defend their rights in court:' Minister defends coercive control law plan
The newly minted minister tasked with addressing Western Australia's record rates of family and domestic violence believes the state is on track to improving women's lives, but has resisted giving a date for criminalising coercive control. Responding to the 9 News Perth special series Turning Point: Lessons from Floreat, which highlighted the issue of family and domestic violence, Prevention of Family and Domestic Violence Minister Jessica Stojkovski said talking about these crimes shouldn't be taboo. 'There is a lot of work that is happening that is improving the lives of women. It's not a perfect solution, nothing is in a community, but I think the things that our government has been doing is implementing those incremental steps,' Stojkovski said. 'Every time we open up conversations, it's a good thing … it's a responsibility of everyone in our society to look after people.' One woman in Australia loses her life to domestic violence every nine days, while Western Australia has the second-highest rate of the crime in the country. In her first sit-down interview since taking on the portfolio, Stojkovski said the damning statistics were due to a number of factors. 'We have started these conversations and these conversations have led to more awareness about family and domestic violence, and awareness ultimately leads to more reports,' Stojkovski said. On the opening episode of Turning Point, harrowing audio of a triple-zero call from a nine-year-old child to WA Police revealed the trauma of family and domestic violence. 'Hello, police emergency? Yes, my mum, my dad is beating my mum up … can you be quiet? My mum is hurt, please help … my dad hit my mum in the stomach or in the head.'
