As Australians for whom World War 2 and the seventies were emblematic, we are distraught at the destruction of our once wonderful women’s refuges.

Dr Goebbels, Adolph Hitler’s Minister for Propaganda, instructed the world that ‘words are valuable’;  they can ‘convince people that a square is, in fact, a circle.’ The current conservative governments have learnt the Doctor’s lessons well!

Australia for the last forty years benefitted from the women’s refuge movement, a consequence of feminists, Germaine Greer and Dr Anne Summers AO, the later both producing seminal works: The Female Eunuch and Damned Whores and Gods Police.

The first Australian refuge, Elsie, was established in 1973 in a ten

ement in, Glebe, Sydney, NSW by Anne Summers et al.

It was another ten years for such an idea to reach the coastal town of Taree, NSW, where a women’s refuge was established in 1983. In 1992, because of a far-sighted Manager, the first purpose-built women’s refuge funded by both Labor and Conservative governments opened its doors. Unfortunately, it proved to be the last of its kind!

In general, Federal Governments funded the projects overseen by State governments. Volunteer community committees and paid Managers dealt with day-to- day administration, an excellent method!

With 1.5 women murdered each week by a partner or ex-partner, one would think governments would be glad of the refuge movement but the following is the history of its destruction by stealth:

• Give a woman, Gabrielle Upton, the job of Minister responsible.
• Persuade the refuge movement to ‘update’ by adopting an acronym, DVNSW and appoint celebrities as ‘Ambassadors’ – which means nothing to the general population!

• Persuade managers to remove the personal, traditional appellation, Lyn’s Place, renaming it ‘women’s service’!
• Replace the words ‘women’,’ violence’ and ‘children’ with ‘homeless’.
• Berate previous governments for not dealing with ‘the homeless’.
• Compose a slogan: Going home staying home.
• Change method of funding from grants to tender.

Outcome: control by religious organisations e.g., The Samaritans, Mission Australia and St Vincent de Paul.

All successfully tendered.

Now, refuges are in a state of flux, with different individual outcomes – none of which are anything like their predecessors. One or two were not required to tender but managers are ‘gagged’. DVNSW imploded leaving the refuge movement without a base.Taree is now a non-secular, non –specific house run by The Samaritans.

Note: the odd thing about this scenario is that New South Wales has been subject to Royal Commissions and enquiries into church- run organisations. And yet, irrespective of these commissions and disturbing findings these very organisations are handed another group of damaged people. It beggars belief!

The State Labor Opposition held protest meetings, gained the required amount of petitions and in September, will debate this issue in the Conservative controlled State Parliament.

Marion Hosking OAM……… for Socialist Women for Justice, Australia