Controversial plans to allow victims of domestic violence emergency access to up to $10,000 of their superannuation have been scrapped by the federal government after receiving backlash from advocates and support workers.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The original idea was flagged back in 2018 but on Monday night, Minister for Women Marise Payne announced that the plans would be dumped.
"We have been considering the feedback that has been received from stakeholders including domestic and family violence experts, a number of superannuation funds, industry bodies and legal groups," she said.
"There was support for the measure from some, but also a number of stakeholders who raised concerns that the measure would disproportionately affect victims and survivors of domestic violence compared to perpetrators."
Related:
Deputy CEO of Linking Community Networks in the Riverina, Kirrilly Salvestro said the backflip constitutes a win for those who lobbied against the changes.
"Before it was rescinded, I thought once again women would be put at a disadvantage," Ms Salvestro said.
"Historically, women have had less super to begin with and this would only make the matters worse."
Although believing the specifics of the plan were flawed, Ms Salvestro said it was encouraging to see the government looking for ways to assist in tackling domestic violence.
"Having access to money is critical in these situations, though that's not the way to do it," she said.
"They [the government] should be looking for other ways to help."
Instead, Ms Salvestro is advocating for greater funding to be allocated to improving access to services across the nation.
"They [victims] need easier and faster access to finance through Centrelink, they need access to services and we need to increase services because many are already struggling to keep up with the level of need," Ms Salvestro said.
Particularly, Ms Salvestro said it was important to provide increased services for the often-hidden victims of domestic violence.
"We talk a lot about women who need help but often the children are not thought of," she said.
"We know that there are long-term effects and even life-long effects of domestic violence that can lead those children into a future of disadvantage, so we need to have the resources there."
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Bookmark dailyadvertiser.com.au
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Instagram
- Follow us on Google News
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters