South Australian State Government Failing Frontline Family Violence Workers

South Australia has failed to deliver on its allocation of frontline family violence workers and needs to come clean on its appalling delivery.

The newly released 2024/25 SA Budget papers highlight a commitment to delivering 38.6 full-time equivalent frontline workers. This conflicts with the Albanese Labor Government’s 2022 election promise of just 36.8 new workers which the state has woefully failed at delivering.

Almost two years after the commitment, only two had been delivered nationally – one of those in Federal Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth’s own electorate – despite evidence of greatest need in the northern suburbs.

At 31 May, just 8.8 full-time equivalent workers had been hired in SA – many of them part-time roles now full-time and not “new” workers as promised.

The promise was “new” and there were supposed to be 24.6 by now – not 8.8 FTE.

Nationally, only 63 or 53.4 full-time equivalent workers (of the promised 500) had been hired by May 31.

In an embarrassing admission of such poor performance, the Commonwealth says it will deliver on commitments – subject to workforce availability.

South Australia has received $4.2 million to get the workers on board. It should give up its go slow and get on with it.

What is lacking is transparency. In documents sought via the Freedom of Information process, much relating to South Australia was redacted. Why so secretive given the 500 worker initiative was an Albanese Government election commitment woefully unfulfilled with its equally incompetent delivery by the State.

Following rallies across the country calling for action, the Malinauskas Government announced a Royal Commission into domestic violence in SA, with Commissioner Natasha Stott Despoja to start work in July. The State Royal Commission coincided with an announcement by the Albanese Government of a $1.3 million “rapid review” by experts in response to incidents of violence. This is despite more than 3000 consultations in delivering the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children as well as such ongoing research as that by the Australian Research Organisation for Women’s Safety (ANROWS).

With reported family violence incidents rising by 12 per cent in a year in South Australia, every day without a new worker on the ground is putting more women, children and the vulnerable at risk.

Every day of delay is a day too long.

There have been 26 women allegedly killed by family members and another 14 women allegedly killed by male perpetrators this year, with at least 40 children left without a mother.