Liberals savage cut to legal support services for women

The Liberal/National party has a reputation for misunderstanding the needs of Australian women. Their attitude towards women is further exemplified by former Liberal prime minister Tony Abbott’s comments about ‘the housewives of Australia doing the ironing’. The LNP doesn’t have a woman-focused policy record either, with continued criticism that they fail Australian women in parliamentary representation, policies, programs, and budget spending. The election of the LNP government in 2019 has been widely viewed as a failure for women, in part because the LNP cuts spending on essential services for women, including The Women’s Family Law Service (WFLSS). Continued cuts to women’s services highlight the LNP governments’ lack of understanding of and disinterest in the wellbeing of Australian women.

The Women’s Family Law Service (WLFLSS) is a joint program run by the Sydney Registry of the Family Court and the NSW Women’s refuge movement. Located in the Sydney registry of the family court, WLFLSS provides a safe space for women and offer non-legal support, advocacy and information during family court proceedings. The WLFLSS understands that family court proceedings can be complex and stressful. It aids women in accessing court personnel and accompaniment to court appointments.

In 20111, Dr. Lesley Linag evaluated the program and concluded ‘every court should have a similar program’. Dr. Liang gathered detailed accounts of women who used the service and said it ‘gave women the confidence they need to navigate the court process of disentangling their lives from their past relationship’. The WLFLSS is a crucial element of an integrated response, according to Dr. Liang, and provides women with a voice and an empathetic support system.

In May 2017, the LNP Government launched the Family Advocacy and Support Scheme (FASS) through Legal Aid programs. Federally funded, the scheme provides legal support to women through legal aid solicitors and social support through the Sydney Women’s Domestic Violence Court Advocacy Service (WDVCA). It also provides services for men through relationships Australia.

Despite a strong demand for integrated services, new programs shouldn’t come at the cost of effective existing programs. But Mark Speakman, the LNP’s Minister for the Prevention of Domestic Violence, disagrees. He claims FASS provides ‘more extensive services’ than specific programs like WLFLSS.

FASS is a generalised service, and as a result, may fail to recognise the specific conditions of women and their needs during Family Court proceedings. Family law proceedings are often polluted with a number of issues, including family and domestic violence, drug and alcohol issues, displacement and financial hardship. These factors make women vulnerable. And decreased funding to existing programs further displaces vulnerable women.

The WLFLSS is not the only women’s service to feel the pinch of the LNP’s 2019 budget. In June 2019, three more services threatened with closure after they were told they only had two weeks funding left. The Sydney Women’s Counselling Service, Penrith Women’s Health Centre , and Cumberland Women’s Health Centre were notified by the Department of Family and Community Services that funding would not be renewed, and began preparing for closure.  

Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Mr Speakman have since claimed they were unaware of the funding cuts and have acted to reinstate funding for these services, defending claims that funding cuts to such services are related to LNP’s goals of attaining a budget surplus. The confusion and chaos surrounding funding for essential services for women further highlights the LNP’s ad hoc and ill-considered approach to programs aimed at the needs and experiences of women in the family court process.

Despite the LNP’s apparent commitment to ending domestic violence and improving the lives of Australian women, the government continues to cut funding to essential legal services for women. Replacing specialised and targeted services with generalised programs demonstrates a lack of sensitivity to the effectiveness of existing programs and a disregard for the interconnectedness of family law and domestic violence issues.

 

By: Irene Squires

References

Croucher, R. (2011), ‘They should have this in every court: Womens family law support service evaluation’, <https://www.alrc.gov.au/news-media/2011/%E2%80%98they-should-have-every-court%E2%80%99-womens-family-law-support-service-evaluation>

Redfern Legal Centre, (2017), ‘FASS program launch’, <https://rlc.org.au/article/rlcs-susan-smith-helps-launch-family-advocacy-and-support-service-fass-0>

Australian Government Attorney Generals Department, Inside Policy, ‘Family Advocacy and Support Services: Final Report’, <https://www.ag.gov.au/Publications/Documents/fass-final-evaluation-report.pdf>

Haydar, N. (2019), ‘Womens family law service may end after NSW government cuts funding’, <https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-06-15/womens-family-law-support-service-funding-ends/11211026>

Visenten, L (2019), ‘NSW Government forced to intervene to save DV services from cuts’, <https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/nsw-government-forced-to-intervene-to-save-dv-services-from-cuts-20190619-p51z9l.html>

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