Media Releases

Media Release – No More Deaths

Peninsula Community Legal Centre is part of the Victorian Family Violence Alliance, a group of leading family violence organisations calling on the state’s political parties to commit to wide-ranging policies across housing, justice, police, health, education and other portfolios to keep women and children safe from family violence in Victoria. 

Chief Executive Officer, Jackie Galloway, says:

“We are still reeling from the shocking family violence deaths that have occurred in our community. In 2013 alone, there were 29 family violence deaths in Victoria. Family violence is the second most common legal issue affecting our clients and can include physical assault, threats, sexual assault, harm to pets and property, emotional, psychological and financial abuse. It is also horrifying to consider that, in one in three cases reported to police, children witness family violence.

Peninsula Community Legal Centre operates a duty lawyer service for family violence intervention orders at Frankston Magistrates’ Court three days per week, as well as assisting clients affected by family violence through its Head Office in Frankston, branch offices in Bentleigh, Cranbourne, Rosebud and Frankston North and duty lawyer service at the Dandenong Family Law Courts. Our Tenant and Consumer Advocacy and Rooming House Outreach programs also frequently assist clients experiencing family violence.

We are acutely aware of the harm caused to individuals and the wider community by family violence, and the need for far-reaching and systemic change in how family violence is addressed.”

The No More Deaths campaign calls for family violence to be at the top of the 2014 state election agenda. The campaign is supported by the Federation of Community Legal Centres, Domestic Violence Resource Centre Victoria, Domestic Violence Victoria, Women’s Domestic Violence Crisis Service, Women’s Legal Service Victoria, No to Violence and Women with Disabilities Victoria. Together, they represent most statewide and local organisations working with women and children, community legal services and men’s behaviour change programs across Victoria.

No More Deaths is calling on politicians to support 25 key asks, across the following areas:

• Keep women and children safe and housed;
• Make the justice system safe and supportive;
• Hold violent perpetrators to account;
• Break down the system silos that endanger women and children;
• Preventing violence against women and children.

The No More Deaths campaign was launched on the steps of Parliament House on 25 August 2014. For more information about No More Deaths, visit www.dvrc.org.au.

For more information about free legal services, please call (03) 9783 3600 or visit www.pclc.org.au.

1 September 2014

CONTACT:

Andrea Staunton

General Manager, Volunteers & Education

PENINSULA COMMUNITY LEGAL CENTRE INC.