Minister for the prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, Jodie Harrison joined the CEO Women's Shelter Armidale Penny Lamaro in the opening of the expanded refuge in Armidale today, Friday August 16.
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00:00Domestic and family violence is the major cause for women who are experiencing homelessness
00:09across New South Wales and we want to ensure that women and children who are experiencing
00:14homelessness in New South Wales are supported as well as they possibly can, that they have
00:20a safe place to go to when they ultimately choose to leave a family violence relationship,
00:28which is why today I'm incredibly pleased to be announcing the opening of the new Cora
00:36and Cluster Refuge that the New South Wales Government has partnered with, with Women's
00:43Shelters Ardale.
00:44This is part of the pilots for the Cora and Cluster project that has been rolled out across
00:51New South Wales.
00:52The total cost of the Cora and Cluster projects is $426.6 million and at the end of the rollout
01:02of the Cora and Cluster projects across New South Wales, we'll be supporting an additional
01:072,900 women each and every year.
01:11Women's Shelters Ardale has a deep and nuanced understanding of domestic violence, having
01:17been on the front line of delivering services here for over 40 years.
01:24And what we know is that people often want to tell women to just leave their abuser.
01:31We know that evidence tells us that that is the most dangerous time for her, is when she
01:38is considering and making a move.
01:41We also know that just leaving creates a whole new wave of stresses, a whole new wave of
01:48problems that really threaten to become overwhelming for most women and an alarming number of women
01:55will stay with an abusive partner because it is too overwhelming to leave.
02:00What we have received here from the State Government today is a facility that this service
02:07can make it possible for more women to be able to leave an abusive relationship without
02:15all those added stresses and without being overwhelmed by a lack of facilities, a lack
02:21of a private space, a lack of a respectful place to be while they rethink and come up
02:28with a reimagined, can't speak today, while they rethink and reimagine what life might
02:35look like after an abusive relationship.
02:38So we are super excited to have this facility where we can continue to deliver the services
02:44that our community is using.
02:47Look, I think one of the great things about today is what we are seeing is the bipartisan
02:57approach that the Government can take.
02:59So this facility here was announced back in 2021 by the previous Coalition Government
03:05and it's being delivered by the current State Government.
03:08So on certain occasions both sides of politics can come together and that's what we've seen
03:14today and I think it's a great result.
03:15I'd like to thank the Minister for making the journey up here and also really acknowledge
03:20Penny and her team for the wonderful work that they do to make the most vulnerable in
03:25our community safer.
03:26But back to why we're here today.
03:29It's that State Government funding that's enabled this fantastic facility to be opened
03:34and without that we'd all be poorer for it.
03:37But I'm particularly thrilled that Armadale was chosen as one of the pilot sites.
03:44This new facility is absolutely fantastic.
03:46It's sorely needed and I have no doubt that it's down to Penny and her team that have
03:52made us an attractive place to run one of those pilots.
03:55So well done all.
03:57Thank you to the Minister and that's it.