Roundtable addresses Domestic Violence in the Riverland

The State Government will hold a Domestic and Family Violence roundtable in the Riverland today, the first regional meeting in a series of forums to be held across South Australia.

Minister for Human Services Michelle Lensink will attend the meeting, along with Assistant Minister for Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Carolyn Habib.

The roundtable meeting is with local domestic violence and homelessness service providers and members of the local domestic violence action group. It will be held at the Aboriginal Sobriety Group in Berri.

Minister for Human Services Michelle Lensink said women’s policy in South Australia was an absolute priority of the Marshall Government.

“The scourge of domestic violence must be stopped,” said Minister Lensink.

“Domestic, family and sexual violence are at the forefront of my concerns regarding women’s policy.

“The statistics are truly shocking – in Australia, one in four women experience intimate partner violence, with one women killed by her partner or ex-partner almost every week.

“Sadly, in South Australia we are not immune from this problem.

“It is so critical that we have feedback from regional areas as we know that a one-size-fitsall approach is not good enough. These forums assist the government to establish a coherent and much needed plan for reform.”

The first Domestic Violence Roundtable was held in Adelaide in April.

The roundtable will enable stakeholders to hear from the Minister about the State Government’s reform agenda and provide feedback directly about issues and priorities in the Riverland.

Topics for discussion will likely include more crisis accommodation and regional safety hubs.

The roundtable is for service providers and domestic violence organisations and is not open to the public.