Beyond the general funding issues for CLCs, two specific program areas that need funding are:

HEALTH JUSTICE PARTNERSHIPS

An RMIT study found that people are more likely to attend non-legal services, like health services, for legal assistance. HJP are effective in terms of addressing violence against women because they get to clients otherwise not reached because of the health care setting. We would advocate for funding the HJP to be increased in a way that builds on existing partnerships.

• Note that the November 2018 Women’s Economic Security Statement included an additional $29.8 million over three years from 2019-20 to continue the existing Domestic Violence Units and Health Justice Partnerships currently operated by Community Legal Centres and some Legal Aid Commissions across Australia.

FINANCIAL ABUSE

A recent report by RMIT into financial abuse between intimate partners stated that: ‘Economic abuse is a form of domestic violence that has a significant impact on the health and financial wellbeing of victims, but is understudied.’ Financial abuse is also difficult to measure because it is not recognised as abuse by those who are experiencing it. However, the existing research has found that:

• financial abuse is significantly associated with other forms of domestic violence such as physical and psychological abuse • women are more than twice as likely as men to experience economic abuse • the prevalence of financial abuse among women who have sought help from domestic violence services ranges from 78-99%

• disability, health and financial stress are significant markers for financial abuse

• 11.5% of the population have or will experience financial abuse in their lifetime

• one of the highest areas of legal need for victims of domestic violence is consumer and credit/debt

• domestic violence is the leading cause of homelessness in NSW • financial abuse and a lack financial independence is a key reason why women experiencing domestic violence are unable to gain financial independence and gain secure housing.

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