Victims of crime across South Australia will struggle to access vital post-trauma counselling after funding was slashed by the Marshall Liberal Government.
From 1 July, the $2.3 million awarded annually to the Victim Support Service to provide therapeutic counselling and victim support across SA, will reduce to $2.3 million over three years under a new provider. That’s a drop of two-thirds.
VSS’s seven regional offices at Mount Gambier, Murray Bridge, Port Augusta, Port Lincoln, Whyalla, Berri and Port Pirie will close. The new provider only has one regional office at Berri.
Seventeen specialist counsellors and staff will lose their jobs. VSS services including the highly successful Court Companion Service, and one-on-one help to seek victim compensation payments or complete Victim Impact Statements will stop. Training for police cadets, police prosecutors and DPP lawyers will also end. These services will not be provided by the replacement service.
The Victim Support Service has provided counselling and advocacy for 40 years. The organisation was started by victims of the Truro and Family murders in 1979. It was the first victim support service in Australia.
Quotes attributable to Shadow Attorney-General Kyam Maher
This government has attacked and cut funding to victim support, community legal services and other critical services for vulnerable South Australians.
The government’s last budget added billions of debt to South Australia yet they are slashing relatively minimal funds that help traumatised victims of crime.
This latest decision adds to uncertainty about the future of regional courts and comes on the back of cuts to community legal services including the Welfare Rights Centre, which closed in 2019 after helping South Australians for 30 years.
Quotes attributable to Shadow Minister for Child Protection Jayne Stinson
We know that high quality counselling is vital to helping victims of violent and sexual crimes cope and recover from their ordeal.
While phone counselling has its place, readily accessible face-to-face counselling is most effective in assisting victims in their darkest hour. Such a dramatic drop in funding will see fewer victims of crime able to readily access counselling services, which are already in high demand.
This decision will put more pressure on our mental health services and justice services, including the police and DPP.
Victims of crime – especially in regional SA – deserve much better.
We need to be doing more to support victims of violent and sexual crimes – not less.