The Berejiklian Government has been embarrassed over its failed “whole-of-government” approach to the prevention of domestic violence and sexual assault, when the Minister for Women was unable to answer Labor’s question about why the Government had failed to deliver its sexual assault strategy (which is overdue by two years) and whether or not it would ever be released.
It comes after the Minister for the Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, Pru Goward, consistently spruiked the Government’s so called “whole-of-government” approach to the issue.
Minister Goward announced the development of a NSW Sexual Assault Strategy on 14 October 2015, when she was Minister for Women and Minister for the Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault. The Strategy was to be completed within six months. This was then extended until the end of 2017.
The Strategy is still uncompleted and the Government has not set a date for its release.
Minister Davies was appointed to the Berejiklian Ministry over fourteen months ago in January 2017.
Quotes attributable to Acting Shadow Minister for Women, Shadow Minister for the Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Jenny Aitchison
“Women in NSW deserve a whole of Government approach to reducing domestic violence and sexual assault. The Minister for Women proved today that this can never happen under a Liberal-National Government.
“The Sexual Assault Strategy is two years overdue. At the very least, the Minister for Women should be asking the Minister for the Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault what’s going on.
“If the one other Minister in Cabinet who should be vitally interested in the strategy has no idea what is going on, how can Minister Goward possibly speak of a “whole of Government” approach?”
