A partnership between the Tasmanian Aboriginal Legal Service and the Tasmanian Online Lions Club is set to provide additional support to victims of family violence.
Set to be launched on Wednesday, the Safer Families Project focuses on helping people access information safely, according to Tasmanian Aboriginal Legal Service (TALS) principal family lawyer Tyne McConnon.
The partnership involves SiS (support, information, strength), a TALS program which provides culturally appropriate, trauma-informed services and assistance to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander victims and survivors of family violence and sexual assault.
Ms McConnon said family and sexual violence continues to be an issue in Tasmania and across Australia for all women, including Aboriginal women, which it disproportionately affects.
"SiS Tasmania supports some of the State's most vulnerable women, being Aboriginal women, who have higher rates of violence perpetrated against them than those who are non-Aboriginal," she said.
"Our service delivers critical legal and non-legal assistance to support clients navigate their way through the complex legal system in what is often time in their lives where they are most vulnerable."
Ms McConnon said in 2023-24, SiS - the only family violence and prevention legal service dedicated to supporting Aboriginal people in Tasmania - supported 172 clients, including 44 new clients, delivering 270 legal services and 597 non-legal services.
She said family violence is an ever evolving space.
"We need to continually be adapting our advice and education and ensuring it is available to communities across Tasmania," Ms McConnon said.
"Ten years ago, we weren't speaking about coercive control, and it wasn't specifically legislated.
"Providing this new service online is reflective of the need to keep information up to date and reflective of what is happening in our communities."
Tasmanian Online Lions Club president Marg Cranney said collaborations are essential to the success of the Safer Families Project.
She said the project is being informed by organisations such as TALS who provide essential support for Tasmanians with lived experience of coercive control and family violence.
"Searching for relevant information, at the moment, can be time consuming, disjointed and very stressful. We are creating a one-stop website where vital information and support services can be easily found," Ms Cranney said.
"Tasmanian Aboriginal people will now be able to access this information which has been created in Tasmania for Tasmanian communities online. It is not safe for some people to come into an office or take a flyer, this will allow another option for people.
"This will be accessible for everyone, all around Tasmania – for very victim of Family Violence. Every community will have access to information and an insight into the services that are available."
The Safer Families Project will be officially launched in Hobart on Wednesday.
