Women's groups have questioned the federal government's plan to combat domestic violence, saying there is not enough funding at a local level and not enough clarity about how the plan will produce "meaningful" results.
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A Senate hearing on Wednesday heard that a combination of cuts to programs such as the national rental affordability scheme and community legal centres, and uncertainty about the long-term future of homelessness funding was increasing the strain on already stretched services for victims of domestic violence.
Women's Services Network spokeswoman Jill Kelly told the hearing that the crisis accommodation service she heads up in Canberra has lost 15 staff members as a result of recent cuts. She said that work with male children who exhibited violent behaviour was not currently being offered due to reduced capacity.
Women's Centre for Health Matters executive director Marcia Williams told the Senate committee that funding cuts were seeing work "fall off" in terms of assisting children in violent situations, given the focus on women.
Another spokeswoman for the Women's Services Network, Angie Piubello, who manages a safe housing service in the ACT, said it can currently take up to 18 months to find accommodation for a large family escaping a violent situation.
"The system itself is really stretched and the women and children are not getting the support that is required," she said.
The federal government has allocated about $200 million to combat violence against women and their children under a national plan that began in 2009 and was updated in June this year.
While the plan has been welcomed by groups working to prevent and deal with domestic violence, witnesses at the hearing into domestic violence in Australia questioned its use on the ground.
Canberra Rape Crisis Centre chief executive Chrystina Stanford said she was hearing that on a local level, "there is not any funding to go with the plan". Ms Kelly said people did not feel the plan translated into anything "meaningful", while the Federation of Ethnic Communities' Council of Australia said there needed to be more emphasis on the "how" of the document.
Greens senator Larissa Waters, who initiated the inquiry, said the hearing had reiterated the importance of affordable housing to help women and their children escape violent situations. "The concern is that women will be forced back into violent homes because they don't have anywhere to go," she said.
Senator Waters questioned the government's priorities when it came to addressing the issue, describing domestic violence as an "epidemic".
According to the 2012 Personal Safety Survey, 17 per cent of all women and five per cent of all men had experienced violence by a partner since the age of 15.
On Wednesday, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Women Michaelia Cash defended the government's domestic violence planning as "comprehensive", noting it included 26 "practical actions to assist" ending domestic and sexual violence.
"Contrary to claims of insufficient funding, the [current action plan] is set to receive Commonwealth funding of $100 million over the forward estimates, a considerable investment to help keep women and children safe," Senator Cash said.
