SYDNEY, May 3 (Xinhua) -- The Australian state government of New South Wales (NSW) announced that an emergency package to prevent domestic violence would be unveiled within days after a special cabinet meeting held on Friday.
According to the NSW government, an emergency package is currently in its finalizing process, which will feature statewide crisis responses and frontline services, primary prevention, and early intervention.
The state government will also look into reforms to the justice system to better protect victims.
"Today we had an emergency special cabinet meeting to hear from, to draw from the expertise and the lived experience of several people, including experience from Victoria and their royal commission, about what the New South Wales government can and should be doing immediately and into the future to end the scourge of domestic family and sexual violence," said NSW Deputy Premier Prue Car.
At a press conference following the cabinet meeting, Car confirmed that the state government would deliver the package within days.
"Then we will also be talking about the medium and the long-term actions that we need to invest in and drive as a government, in terms of driving the cultural change to stop women from dying, and to stop women from being victims of domestic violence, family violence and violence in their intimate relationships," Car noted.
A recent report from the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research showed that in the 12 months to December 2023, there were 36,072 domestic violence recorded by police across the state, up 3.6 percent annually on average over five years. ■
