18 August 2026 – Paul Murray Live – Labor’s Aged Care Crisis
August 21, 2026
In 2024 all Western Australians can and must all do more. Every single day delay matters.
In 2022-23, WA family and domestic violence-related assaults rose by more than 15 per cent, with almost 3000 incidents reported in June alone.
Sadly, statistics showing WA has one of the highest rates of domestic violence in the nation, are only the tip of the iceberg in this epidemic.
While there is record funding to address the scourge of domestic and family violence, the numbers continue to move in the wrong direction; so urgency must accompany announcements of money.
Announcements are not outcomes.
There is still no detail on where the 500 frontline service workers are – 50 for Western Australia – promised by the Albanese Government in the 2022 election despite it being halfway through its term of government.
I’ve formally asked the Albanese Government and I have asked the responsible WA Minister in a letter in mid-December but there is little detail on where they are, or how many are actually at work and providing much-needed support for the sector. There was a media release announcing expressions of interest.
Talking about it is not an outcome and the delay is simply too long.
In November, WA called for expressions of interest for 50 frontline workers, who will be funded through an extension to the National Partnership on Family, Domestic and Sexual Violence Responses 2021-2027 with a combined investment of $16.2 million from the Albanese Government and $4.8 million from the Cook Government. This call came 19 months after the 2022 election promise and 13 months after the October Federal Budget 2 announcement.
Yet, on November 27 in parliament, the Prime Minister stated (p102 of Hansard): “My government is taking immediate and practical action … We’ve delivered on our commitment of new frontline and community sector workers to support victims-survivors.”
When asked about urgency of the Government’s response (p.104 of Hansard), he replied: “My government came to office with a clear commitment to increase funding for community service workers dealing with violence against women and children … and we put the money in the budget … Now there are people working to protect women and children from domestic violence because of that.”
Again, an announcement is not an outcome. Where is the urgency in this response?
In responding to my letter, I urged WA Minister Winton to also outline progress on the commitments made by the WA Government on addressing family violence as part of its contribution to the National Plan to End Violence Against Women and their Children.
The record in the WA suggests that West Australians deserve haste on and at every opportunity and progress there will be crucial if Australia is to deliver on the National Plan ambition to end violence within one generation.
As Shadow Minister, in 2024 I will continue to ask for focus on preventative and early intervention measures and for the basis on which programs are funded which must be evidence based, peer reviewed and delivered by organisations with good government.
I will also keep asking about delivery in regional, rural and remote areas.
West Australian women killed in violent incidents in 2023 include:
