1996 Election commitments for Family & Chn's Services portfolio well on track

29/4/98

Family and Children's Services Minister Rhonda Parker said today that the implementation of the 1996 Election commitments for this four-year term of government in her portfolio area is well on track.

"All election commitments are being actioned, many are already implemented," Mrs Parker said.

"Some of the commitments requiring a longer planning stage are progressing well."

·      Poverty Taskforce

The Poverty Taskforce was established in May 1996 with a one-year term and a $165,000 allocation, to develop strategies to strengthen responses to poverty in Western Australia.

In the 1996 election, the Coalition promised to support the work of the Taskforce on Poverty in developing a plan for a decade of action to alleviate poverty, with an allocation over the term of Government of $600,000.

The taskforce's term to report to Government was extended at the request of the taskforce's chair, Ian Carter, from May 1997 to December 31, 1997.

The main allocation of funding in this financial year was to research which was identified by the Poverty Taskforce; for example, $35,000 for research on community awareness and attitudes towards poverty.

The final report from the Poverty Taskforce has now been received and its recommendations are presently being considered by Government for a response by the end of June 1998, as requested by the taskforce.

The remainder of the $600,000 will be allocated over the next three financial years on the implementation of the recommendations from the Poverty Taskforce accepted by Government.

Findings of some of the research initiated by the Poverty Taskforce are starting to come through and will inform the 1998-99 spending.

·      Financial, marriage and family counselling

$111,000 per year for the next three years has been allocated to provide qualified financial, marriage and family counselling in Kununurra, Bunbury and Esperance.

$230,000 per year for the next three years has been allocated to three child counselling services selected in February 1998, in the Great Southern, the South-West and metropolitan area and addressing the needs of children who were secondary victims of domestic violence.

Those services provide group and individual counselling aiming to assist children to deal effectively with the trauma caused by domestic violence and to understand and work through the issues it raises.

New outreach support services for Aboriginal victims of domestic and family violence have been set up in Laverton, Mirrabooka, Bunbury and in the Western Desert Communities. A new service has recently been advertised and will be funded at $170,000 in Coolbellup.

$233,000 per year for the next three years has been provided to new domestic violence victim counselling services in Albany, Narrogin, Karratha/Hedland and Mandurah, as well as an increase in funding to the Centrecare Goldfields Spouse Abuse and Counselling and Education service of yearly $13,000.

The Department of Family and Children's Services is presently investigating the needs of children affected by marriage breakdown through a comprehensive literature review, conducted to inform consideration of additional services to be funded in 1998-99.

·      Free flu vaccinations

"The State Government strongly believes that all seniors should be immunised against the influenza virus," Mrs Parker said.

"Flu epidemics are particularly dangerous for seniors and I would encourage all seniors to speak to their doctors about vaccinations now.

"We are committed to set up a free flu vaccination scheme for seniors over 65 during this term of Government.

"The Commonwealth has always heavily subsidised flu vaccines for 70 per cent of Seniors who are pension card concession holders everywhere in the country. Those seniors presently pay $3.20 per vaccine.

"We want the Commonwealth to transfer to us the money they have allocated in their budget for this purpose; we will top it up with $300,000 annually, bulkbuy the vaccines and restructure the scheme to provide flu vaccines to all Seniors in WA free of charge.

"I am confident that this scheme will be implemented in WA in partnership between the State and Federal Government in the near future.

"We are continuing to discuss with the Federal Government a possible interim arrangement for the remainder of this financial year. In any circumstance, I am confident that the free flu vaccination scheme will be up and running in 1998-99."

·      $300,000 in 1997-98 on a public education campaign on domestic violence

The development of the public education campaign on domestic violence was one of the recommendations of the taskforce on family and domestic violence.

The domestic violence community education campaign is currently being developed.

Expenditure from the $300,000 allocation for the 1997-98 financial year has included market research, evaluation, concept and advertisement testing, media scheduling and associated costs in preparation for the launch of the Community Education Campaign in August 1998.

Media contact : Donna Cole - 9481 7810