1. Which of the recommendations in this document do you support?
   1. Amendment of legislation to provide greater police accountability.
   2. Increase in funding to WDVCAP to provide more support workers.
   3. The provision of safe waiting space for women in NSW Local Courts.
   4. Increase in funding to WDVCAP to provide legal representation.
   5. Increase in funding to DVAS to provide solicitors and support workers in rural NSW.
   6. Increase in funding to the DV Line to reduce waiting times experienced by callers.
   7. Funding be allocated to FWAHS to provide sexual assault/domestic violence workers
2. If elected, what will you do to reduce and prevent domestic violence in NSW?
3. If elected, what will you do to ensure that domestic violence services are properly resourced to meet the needs of their clients?

Resposes from candidates: NCOSS has received 44 Domestic Violence feedback forms from candidates.

• Summary: breakdown of response in terms of political parties [99kb PDF file]
• Respondants: list of canditdates who responded [38kb PDF file]

It is well known that domestic violence negatively impacts in the lives of thousands of women and children each year. This crime also absorbs a substantial amount of police time and results in huge economic and social costs. Despite this, the high rate of domestic violence in NSW has so far received little attention in the lead up to the election.

Services that assist victims of domestic violence are currently stretched to the limit, while rates of domestic violence are increasing. The number of recorded incidents of domestic assault has increased by 10.2% in the last 12 months, with some the highest rates recorded in rural areas. Between March 2001 and 2002, the number of calls to the Domestic Violence Line in NSW increased by 25%.

Domestic violence intersects with a broad range of other major issues including child protection and homelessness. According to the latest data from the SAAP National Data Collection Agency (NDCA), the main reason for seeking assistance between June 2001 and June 2002 was domestic violence (18.1%).

There were 10,300 children in NSW SAAP services during this period, of which 49.3% were aged 0-4 years and a further 41.7 percentage were aged 5-12 years. These children were usually accompanying their mothers in domestic violence refuges and had often witnessed, or been victims of, family violence.

NCOSS, in partnership with the Domestic Violence Advocacy Service, has developed an Issues Kit on the current issues and major needs in relation to domestic violence. The kit has been sent to all candidates in the forthcoming State election. The NCOSS SAAP Election Issues Kit also details some of the key domestic violence issues for women's refuges.

This article was originaly published in NCOSS News (March 2003) - the NCOSS newsletter for NCOSS members. You can subscribe to NCOSS News by becoming a member [membership info]