The Andrews Labor Government is taking action to reduce family violence, with a leading Aboriginal service provider receiving a major grant to deliver a specialist service across the state.
Member for Northern Victoria Mark Gepp today announced that the Dardi Munwurro organisation will receive a grant worth almost $400,000 to deliver a package of interventions for Aboriginal men.
The program will focus on Aboriginal men who are perpetrators of family violence by targeting two separate age groups: men between 18-25 years, and men aged 25 years and older.
Dardi Munwurro currently operates healing and behaviour change groups in Swan Hill, Mildura, Echuca, Bairnsdale, Epping, Robinvale and Preston.
Under the state-wide program, each group will attend a five-day camp followed by intensive individual case management and mentoring support.
The case management will include fortnightly check-ins, follow up legal assistance, and mentoring from an Aboriginal Elder.
Dardi Munwurro – based in Preston – is one of five specialist service providers located across the state to receive funding under the government’s Family Violence Perpetrator Intervention Grants Program.
The five service providers will share in $1.75 million to provide the range of programs.
The grants form part of a $7.9 million package delivered through the Victorian Budget 2017/18 to implement a key recommendation from the Royal Commission into Family Violence to trial and evaluate new perpetrator interventions within the justice system.
The Dardi Munwurro program will begin in May and operate for 15 months before being independently evaluated.
Quotes attributable to Member for Northern Victoria, Mark Gepp MP
“We’re tackling family violence by holding perpetrators to account and ensuring that they can access programs to help change their behaviour.”
“This program aims to address family violence across the state and will deliver targeted intervention programs for Aboriginal men.”
