The Benalla Community Services Hub, a crucial central location for 12 health and community agencies, is set to close and leave some of the region’s most vulnerable people at risk.
The hub has been home to organisations including the Orange Door and The Centre Against Violence, providing a safe haven for victims of family violence to meet with support workers.
Despite this, news of the closure was announced in the middle of the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence.
At least four of the 12 agencies who used the service recently pulled out of the collective building, leaving the hub with a major funding shortfall and an inability to keep their doors open.
State Member for Euroa Annabelle Cleeland, who immediately raised the issue with the Minister for the Prevention of Family Violence, said the Victorian Government had been stripping much-needed funding away from organisations like the Orange Door in Benalla.
She slammed the closure as “completely unacceptable” and said to announce it during the 16 days of activism is “indefensible”, warning the community will be left in an “extremely vulnerable and dangerous position”.
“The Allan Labor Government has cut funding from Orange Door in Benalla when they can least afford it, leaving an area firmly in the throes of a family violence epidemic at even greater risk,” Ms Cleeland said.
“This is an area with rates of family-based violence more than 70 per cent higher than the statewide average.
“Deciding to pull funding from an area like this, and then announcing the closure during the 16 days of gender-based violence is a damning indictment of Labor’s ability to keep our most vulnerable people safe.”
A Victorian Government spokesperson, however, said the Orange Door site in Benalla was not staffed and simply a place for locals to make private phone calls to speak directly with Orange Door workers.
“There has been no cut to funding and this is not a staffed Orange Door site,” the spokesperson said.
“We have led the nation with our work on preventing family violence, delivering new reforms that are changing laws, changing culture and delivering new support for victim survivors to target family violence at every stage.
“The Orange Door services in Benalla will continue to operate with no changes — residents have always been able to access services by phoning 1800 271 157 or by visiting the Wangaratta or Shepparton outposts.
“Orange Door support workers will continue to travel to meet them at convenient locations in Benalla as required.”
Ms Cleeland said services in regional Victoria continued to have funding pulled from them.
“Overspending and increasing debt levels caused by Melbourne-based projects has seen this government turn to regional Victoria as a way of saving money,” Ms Cleeland said.
“Unfortunately, it is our most vulnerable people who are suffering with cuts to mental health services, family violence support operators, community houses, hospitals and maternity services.
“Cuts like this continue to demonstrate this government’s blatant disregard for regional Victoria and all of its residents.”