SA Government Needs to Come Clean on Frontline Family Violence Workers 

South Australia needs to come clean on its appalling progress on delivery of frontline service workers for the family violence sector under the federally funded national initiative.

The SA Budget paper highlights a commitment to delivering 38.6 full- time equivalent frontline workers towards this Albanese Government 2022 election commitment but SA’s progress has been slow and it is citing wrong numbers.

The Federal Funding Agreement states a commitment to 36.8 new workers but the Malinauskas Government is talking 38.6, they are not all new workers and SA is not contributing any additional funds – even though it can do so.

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. The promise was “new” and there were supposed to be 24.6 by now – not 8.8 full-time equivalent SA has sort-of delivered to date and now delivery is “subject to workforce availability”.

Evidence of greatest need is in Adelaide’s northern suburbs but after almost two years the Albanese Government had only delivered two frontline workers nationally – one of those in Federal Minister Amanda Rishworth’s own electorate in the south.

Vulnerable people and the sector know this initiative has been delivered poorly because workers are not on the frontline as promised.

Nationally only 63 or 53.4 full-time equivalent workers had been hired by May 31. 2

Finding information on progress lacking detail I sought it via Freedom of Information requests returned with much relating to South Australia redacted. Why so secretive given the 500-worker initiative?

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.