The first day of public hearings in South Australia’s Royal Commission into Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence has heard a lack of funding and crisis accommodation is pushing the sector to its limits. Tens of thousands of people have been reaching out to crisis support services this year, but not all calls are able to be answered.
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00:00A day nearly 12 months in the making.
00:06I feel a great sense of honour to sit here today on day one of our Royal Commission public
00:12hearings.
00:13Nine witnesses were called to give evidence to South Australia's Royal Commission into
00:17domestic, family and sexual violence.
00:21The sittings beginning with a reminder of its mammoth task.
00:24I want to identify ways to make the systems better so that we can eliminate, reduce at
00:30least the scourge that is domestic, family and sexual violence in South Australia and
00:36beyond.
00:37Calls for the state to hold its own Royal Commission intensified last year after four
00:42South Australian women were killed in separate incidents in just one week, allegedly at the
00:48hands of men.
00:49The head of the state's largest domestic violence and family service provider told the commission
00:54demand has increased to the point they were forced to scrap some regional outreach services.
01:00Frustrations too within the state's 24-hour DV crisis line.
01:05It's expected to receive around 35,000 calls this year but only 70 per cent of requests
01:11on average are able to be answered.
01:14Barriers for Aboriginal victim survivors to access culturally appropriate care and secure
01:19long-term housing exposed.
01:22The public hearings continue tomorrow when the focus shifts to the state's response to
01:26sexual violence.
01:28Police, SA Health and the Victims of Crime Commissioner will be called upon to give evidence.
01:34The findings from the Royal Commission are due to be completed by the middle of next year.