Media Release 30 October 2003

NEW HOME FOR A STILL MUCH-NEEDED SERVICE

Women's Health West will celebrate its fifteenth birthday and the official opening of its new premises at 317-319 Barkly Street Footscray at 10.30am on Friday 7 November 2003.

The event begins at 10.30am with a Smoking Ceremony and Welcome to Country by Wurundjeri Elder Joy Murphy. The building will be officially opened by Mary Gillett, Parliamentary Secretary for Women's Affairs and Member for Tarneit. The event also includes the launch of an exhibition of art by young African women.

"Fifteen years is a fantastic achievement," says Board Chairperson Sue Finucane. "We've grown from a staff of four to be Victoria's biggest women's health service, with 30 staff and a budget of $1.7million. It is a tribute to the dedicated feminists who campaigned to set up the service in the mid-1980s, and to every woman - staff, member, client or volunteer - who has been part of the Women's Health West story since."

Women's Health West was the state's first regional women's health service, opened by Health Minister David White on 29 September 1988. It offered a combination of clinical services, counselling, community education, and training for other health and welfare agencies from a small house at 60 Droop St.

The agency no longer offers medical services, but for a decade has housed what is now the region's largest program supporting women and children victims of family violence. It continues its dual approach, working with both individual women in their communities, and the health and community sector.

"Looking back, we've achieved so much," says CEO Melissa Afentoulis. "Last year alone we supported 616 women and 992 accompanying children who were experiencing family violence. We were part of the push for a fundamental recent shift in government policy, which recognised that health and wellbeing are determined not just by physiology, but by factors such as gender, age, ability, social isolation, ethnicity, sexuality and access to housing and employment."

"We produce a plethora of resources for the community and our sector, many in community languages. We do diverse and innovative research and community development projects in areas such as gambling, family violence, parenting and health education for recently-arrived and other migrant communities, same-sex attracted women and women with disabilities."

"Looking forward, there's still much to do," says Ms Afentoulis. "Our region scores lowest on the ABS socio-economic table, and is getting poorer. Sole-parent households - most female-headed - are amongst the poorest, as are Indigenous and refugee families. Violence against women and children has not reduced, and services like ours are pressured by ever-increasing demand for support. Public housing is in constant crisis, with few housing options for women and children rebuilding their lives after escaping family violence. And we still don't have a federal women's health policy - leadership is desperately needed on a national level."

"We will keep working for women, focussing on the needs of the most marginalised in our community, and speaking out on women's health, safety and wellbeing. Our new shop-front home provides us with even more scope to reach out and make a difference to women in the Western Region."

PHOTO OPPORTUNITY: 10.30 to 12 noon, Friday 7 November 2003, 317-319 Barkly St Footscray. Launch of new Women's Health West premises by Mary Gillett MLA, Smoking Ceremony by Wurundjeri Elder Joy Murphy, launch of young African women's art exhibition and Vardos Hungarian music trio.

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MEDIA CONTACT

For more information or to arrange an interview please contact our Chief Executive Officer Melissa Afentoulis or our Communications Officer on 9689 9588 or via email.