By ANEEKA SIMONIS
NOT on our watch.
That’s the recent catchcry bellowing from the Cardinia Shire Council which has laid out plans to step in to prevent the staggering increase of family violence afflicting residents.
Council CEO Gary McQuillan penned a letter to the Pakenham Gazette, stating family violence is expected to become their “number one issue”.
He said council could not afford to stay uninvolved in the violent epidemic devastating hundreds of families – and alarmingly children – across the shire each year.
“This issue is at the heart of the well-being of our community. Personally, I don’t think we can have such an issue on our doorstep, in our homes, and not take action,” he wrote.
“What’s the purpose of council as leaders in our community, what’s the purpose of the organisation in delivering services that make Cardinia Shire a better place to live, if we are not going to try to change this deplorable state of affairs?”
He acknowledged traditionalist objections to council’s intended move to tackling the social issue which exists outside their “roads, rates and rubbish” responsibilities, but argued in favour of council’s need to take action.
“Every day, people in our community – adults and children – are living in fear, are living with violence, are living with emotional, physical, sexual or financial abuse. Are we just going to sit here and do nothing?” he asked, before stating intentions to confront and fight the violent notions behind the behaviour.
In recent weeks, council partnered with Family Life to deliver a “game-changing” three-year-old project to overhaul the “severely corrosive” impact family violence is having on victims, namely children.
The Collective Impact Cardinia project responds to reports that the incidence of family violence have more than doubled in the past five years.
During that time, more than 2100 children were witness to the attacks – a trauma proven to cause grim long-term impacts, emotionally and psychologically.
The project will help identify gaps in services and responses to combat family violence as well as create new long-term, sustainable opportunities to strengthen current services offered across Cardinia Shire.
