However, the step forward from the federal government’s $100 million women’s safety package sits against the backdrop of deep cuts to community legal centres. 

Advocacy and Rights Centre (ARC Justice) executive officer Peter Noble said while there had been arguments over the semantics of the funding for centres – whether it had been “cut” or “non-renewed” – either way services would suffer. 

“Whichever way you look at it, it will hit community legal centres nationally,” Mr Noble said. 

“Some of those funds have no doubt gone to help victims of family violence.”

Nevertheless, Mr Noble said the government plan to have a lawyer on site at hospitals to help victims was a promising move, in a similar vein to the Loddon Campaspe Legal Centre’s current partnership with Bendigo Community Health Service’s Kangaroo Flat site. 

He said the controlling behaviour of an abusive partner could regulate who a victim of family violence could see or speak with. 

“One of those issues with the disclosure of violence, is that often the victim cannot come to a lawyer or see a community legal centre, but they can usually see a health service provider or an obstetrician.” Mr Noble said. 

“If those workers are skilled to identify it, or have an active partnership where the lawyer can be immediately consulted about the woman's safety needs … we are better able to help.”

He said health professionals might not know the questions to ask or the answers to give if they discovered a victim had experienced family violence. 

“It probably felt like they had opened up a can of worms,” Mr Noble said. 

He said while it was not necessarily necessary to have a lawyer at every health service, if GPs and allied health providers were trained and had a strong connection with local lawyers, that could help improve a victim’s situation dramatically. 

“It is difficult to provide effective health care if a person's home environment isn't stabilised,” he said. 

Violence against women and children is a significant health issue, not just a social problem, Loddon Mallee Women’s Health CEO Linda Beilharz said. 

“We are at the end of a long train of thinking that violence is a personal issue, not a public issue,” Ms Beilharz said. 

“People are a bit afraid to ask, so until they've had some training so they know how to respond, they think what am I going to do if they need help?”

“First of all, check if they are safe. If they feel in danger, then the emergency services are called.”

“Believe what you hear. So often women say that the person they told didn't believe or they belittled it and that really sets them back.”

She said it was important to inform women of their choices, such as going to lawyers or domestic violence organisations. 

If you or someone you know is experiencing violence or sexual assault, phone 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732.