ISSUES facing victims of domestic violence in Tamworth will be discussed at a round-table meeting on Monday.
Headed by the NSW shadow minister for prevention of domestic violence and sexual assault, Jenny Aitchison, she said there were unique circumstances which could compound issues for regional victims.
Ms Aitchison has hosted similar round-table meetings around the state to get an idea what domestic violence services could help regional communities.
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Tamworth support services have previously noted the city had one of the worst records for violence, providing assistance to more than 2500 women in a year.
The Oxley Police District was chosen as one of four commands in NSW to run a pilot disclosure scheme which gave partners access the violent criminal history of partners.
Ms Aitchison suggested it could be harder for regional women to safely leave violent situations and there was a need for “proper safe and secure crisis accommodation”.
She said it could be difficult for regional women to find another job if they were forced to move.
“Moving away from violence, family barriers are huge too,” she said.
“There’s also cultural barriers, I think people still don’t accept and still don’t really understand how domestic violence creates issues.”
She said NSW Labor would announce its domestic violence policies closer to the 2019 election, but she said the party was committed to joining “Our Watch”, a program delivering respectful relationship education.
NSW is the only state yet to join Our Watch, which was established to drive change in the culture, behaviours and power imbalances that lead to violence against women and children.
Jacob McArthur
Jacob McArthur is opinions editor for The Canberra Times and Australian Community Media. As part of the Canberra Times' production team, he helps the people of Canberra and beyond get the stories they need, when they need them across a range of platforms, while helping maintain a high editorial standard. Before moving to Canberra in 2020, he started with Australian Community Media in 2015 as a journalist for The Northern Daily Leader in Tamworth where he kept a close eye on Tamworth Regional Council. Jacob was also the co-host of ACM's Water Pressure podcast where he and Jamieson Murphy took a deep dive on issues and key decisions arising during one of the region's worst droughts on record.
Jacob McArthur is opinions editor for The Canberra Times and Australian Community Media. As part of the Canberra Times' production team, he helps the people of Canberra and beyond get the stories they need, when they need them across a range of platforms, while helping maintain a high editorial standard. Before moving to Canberra in 2020, he started with Australian Community Media in 2015 as a journalist for The Northern Daily Leader in Tamworth where he kept a close eye on Tamworth Regional Council. Jacob was also the co-host of ACM's Water Pressure podcast where he and Jamieson Murphy took a deep dive on issues and key decisions arising during one of the region's worst droughts on record.
