The decision to fast-track COVID-related domestic and family violence matters and parenting disputes in the family court must be backed in with extra government funding to ensure the system works and can be continued beyond the current crisis, according to Greens Leader in the Senate and spokesperson on Women, Larissa Waters.

The Greens welcome the announcement of additional funding for domestic violence counselling and referral services during this crisis, but warn more targeted funding is essential to create extra capacity.

“The scale of government assistance for frontline services supporting survivors of family and domestic violence does not meet the demand fuelled by self-isolation during the Covid-19 crisis,” said Greens Senate Leader and spokesperson on Women, Senator Larissa Waters.

The Greens have called on the Morrison Government to urgently fund services needed to respond to the increased risk of family violence during the Coronavirus crisis.

Greens Senator Larissa Waters urged the government to recognise the risks presented by quarantining at home.

“Everyone deserves to feel safe at home. But experience overseas shows that being at home during the COVID-19 crisis can put some women and children at higher risk of abuse from violent or controlling partners,” she said today.

The Greens have welcomed court proceedings against the Morrison Government for failing to apply national water laws when it assessed Adani’s North Galilee Water Scheme project, a key part of the Carmichael coal mine.

“The water trigger was introduced to protect farmers, landholders and community members by making sure the impacts on water supplies are rigorously assessed,” Greens Senate Leader and spokesperson on mining, Senator Larissa Waters said today.

The Federal Government did not consult with the peak community advisory group before re-announcing $20 million funding for a controversial loan program for domestic violence survivors, an initiative not supported by the sector, the Greens say.

AWAVA [Australian Women Against Violence Alliance] wrote to Women’s Safety Ministers ahead of the meeting last Friday with a key ask to fully fund the specialist services that improve women’s safety and hold men who use violence to account.

Greens Senate Leader and spokesperson on Women, Senator Larissa Waters, has written to Minister for Women Marise Payne ahead of tomorrow’s meeting of Women’s Safety Ministers asking for additional funding and national coordination to improve frontline police services available to people reporting domestic and family violence.

“Women who have survived domestic violence won’t seek police help if they think they will be disbelieved or exposed to more danger,” she said.

Attorney-General Christian Porter continues to avoid a clear answer on whether his long overdue proposal for a Commonwealth Integrity Commission would have enough teeth to cover the rorts scandals.
 
“Based on the Attorney’s comments to date, it seems like sports rorts would not have been covered, which shows how weak and ineffective it is likely to be - if it’s ever in fact established”, said Greens Senate Leader and spokesperson on democracy, Senator Larissa Waters.
 

The climate crisis is heating Australia faster than other nations and answers to Greens questions at Senate Estimates today confirm Australia will warm by ‘closer to 4 degrees’, not the 2 degrees agreed to in the Paris Agreement on climate change, with Scott Morrison marching us on a path towards death.

The Morrison Government is actively subverting democracy by twice in the past two sitting weeks using procedural games to avoid greater transparency on rorts.
 
The Government has today blocked Greens Senate Leader Larissa Waters from postponing a motion which would require them to disclose when ministers have departed from advice of independent bodies under Commonwealth Grants Guidelines, with risk of pork barrelling.
 

The Prime Minister must address the national crisis of women’s death by violence with a $5 billion investment in domestic violence response and full implementation of recommendations from previous inquiries, say the Greens.

Greens Senate Leader and spokesperson on Women, Senator Larissa Waters, said, “The Prime Minister stood in parliament this week and said “the system” has failed Hannah Clarke, he must take responsibility for ending this crisis in deaths from violence.

"The Prime Minister has the purse strings to the system and can fix it.