Changes to a telephone service aimed at helping rape and domestic violence victims have been slammed as “ethically and morally corrupt” by a CSU researcher.
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The 1800RESPECT service is at the centre of a controversy after Rape & Domestic Violence Services Australia, the organisation currently sub-contracted to provide the actual telephone support, severed ties with the parent provider company.
Medibank Health Services (MHS), which has the government contract to provide a number of high-profile telephone services, recently announced the number of not-for-profit providers linked to 1800RESPECT is to be increased beyond just R&DVSA.
Dr Andreia Schineanu, who has been undertaking research into domestic violence, is concerned that “basically whoever wins the tender will be making a profit from the pain and suffering of the victims”.
One of the biggest concerns cited by R&DVSA was that it would be required to hand all existing 1800RESPECT client files to MHS. The group also objected to future notes being recorded on the MHS system, which also voice records all calls.
Dr Schineanu said this situation was concerning, given the specialist services survivors of rape and domestic violence need.
“Until now, these services were provided by highly educated and trained counsellors who had the required skills to deal with the needs of survivors,” she said.
“Aside from the ethics, however, if we look at what happened to other human services that have been privatised, the result will be that services will be delivered by less skilled staff – to make profits they will hire less skilled people as they cost less – therefore clients will receive less effective services.
“Clients will take longer to heal, costing more in suffering and health costs for the government and services will start to be limited to increase profit, for example, reduce hours of operation.”
Dr Schineanu said privatising these core services would result in more costs for the government as the lack of early and appropriate intervention would lead to long-term chronic problems which will cost the health and welfare system more.
Federal Minister for Social Services Christian Porter has defended changes to 1800RESPECT, saying the government had tried to improve waiting times and increase the numbers of calls being answered by providing an extra $4 million to the service, $3.6 million of which went to R&DVSA.
“After no real improvement to call wait times or percentage of calls answered, the Turnbull Government commissioned KPMG to undertake an independent review of the service,” Mr Porter said.
