Source : Perth Now news
Dozens of volunteers who help victims of domestic and family violence navigate the Victorian legal system will disappear from courthouses across the country following a withdrawal of hundreds of thousands of dollars in funding from the federal government.
After learning in January the Attorney-General’s Department would cease renewal for an annual $300k funding package, Victorian-based non-profit Court Network will be forced to begin wrapping up their work in Federal courthouses in Victoria, Queensland and New South Wales as soon as the end of June.
Court Network Executive Director Kate Kahill, who refers to her volunteers as “court networkers” said she “couldn’t fathom” the potential negative impacts of being forced to stand her staff down.
DV survivors will be left ‘isolated’ and ‘vulnerable’ while in court according to critics of a recent funding withdrawal
Court networkers are volunteers who receive specialist training to help people – more than half of whom are victims of family and domestic violence – navigate the complexities of any given day in court.
They volunteer at the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia, as well as local, children’s, coroners and county courts across Victoria.
“In Victoria, we really are an embedded part of the court system,” Ms Cahill said.
“After the end of June we’re going to start dropping volunteers from courts, and to know that we won’t have people in those buildings is very hard for me to comprehend, especially when domestic and family violence is such a priority for the federal government.”
According to Ms Cahill, the Sydney volunteer services have already been wrapped up, Brisbane volunteers will be the next batch to go at the end of June, and if no additional funding can be secured, Melbourne and Dandenong will lose their volunteers in October.
Ms Cahill said navigating the court system, especially for female victims of domestic and family violence, would be an “isolating” experience without court networkers.
“Recently, we had a vulnerable court user going through the process because of domestic violence, and because (a perpetrator) was in the same building, she had to go into a safe room,” Ms Cahill said.
“If our Networker wasn’t there, the only person she would have spoken with that day would have been the security guard at the front door, and then she would have sat by herself in that safe room for six hours with nobody by her side before she went to give evidence.”
Court Networker Nicky, who has chosen not to provide her surname for privacy reasons, has volunteered for 11 years, and she says court networkers are often the difference between a smooth day in court and a genuine administrative crisis.
“Some days, our volunteers are the difference between a person choosing to flee the courtroom and choosing to stay and give evidence,” she said.
“When people are unregulated and stressed, we calm them down to the point where they can actually go and give evidence on the witness stand.”
Ms Cahill said without her army of volunteers, Victorian court houses could face “lengthy delays”.
“Emotional regulation for vulnerable court users is one of the key things our network does. We enable them to participate in their proceedings, because if you’re emotionally unregulated you can’t take in what is being said and you may react negatively,” she said.
“I think the consequence of that will potentially be lengthy delays to court proceedings, because people won’t be able to participate and matters will be continuously adjourned.”
Nicky said court networkers are often the first people victims tell about the true extent of the violence they face at home because they come across as “less threatening” than lawyers or court officers.
“Volunteers are less threatening – this has been expressed to me many times. Many of these people have been led to believe that most people who are trying to help them have an agenda,” she said.
“When you tell them you’re a volunteer they immediately relax, they immediately reveal things to you about their safety and wellbeing. It’s incredibly powerful.
“There has never been a day when I have left that court where someone has not said to me, ‘this service is extraordinary, you have helped us so much”.
The Court Network website features volumes of testimony from everyday Australians who have been helped by volunteers during their time in the system.
“I was in court by myself with no one to support me. The Networker offered to be there for me and it made a huge difference to be supported through the court process,” one user wrote.
“Having a friendly face approach you and offer you information and help is such a reassuring presence that helps alleviate some of the anxiety of the day … this service is priceless,” another said.
The Attorney-General’s office said the funding was a “time-limited grant” intended to help train Court Networkers as part of a “Safety Net Service” following the 2021 merger of the Family and Circuit Courts of Australia.
“The funding has enabled the Court Network to establish volunteer training resources reflecting the operations of the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia, and a cohort of trained volunteers,” a spokesman said.
“The department acknowledges the contribution that the Safety Net program has made while the FCFCOA was being established, supporting families navigating court processes at the same time as managing challenging personal circumstances.”
Ms Cahill told NewsWire it was “ridiculous” to assume volunteers could sustain a long-term presence within the Federal court system without rigorous, ongoing training.
“Imagine if firefighters received training at the beginning of their career and then went on to serve for years without it ever being updated,” she said.
The Court Network is currently trying to source other forms of funding in the wake of the $300,000 black hole which has been dug into their budget, but they remain optimistic about the future.
“It’s important to understand that although we’ve lost our government funding, we certainly will not be sitting back and just letting this disappear,” Nicky said.
“If we’re forced to take other measures, we absolutely will.”
