'Let down': Uncertainty over land promised for women's trauma recovery centre
Women’s health advocate Sally Stevenson says she feels “let down” by the NSW Government amid a rising domestic violence health crisis, and is concerned negotiations regarding the land for a world-first trauma recovery centre have stalled.
Ms Stevenson said she felt there was “very real risk” the government would not come through with its previous commitment to provide a space for the centre at the old Port Kembla Hospital site, in Warrawong.
But health department sources said it had done everything possible to commit to working with the centre while the necessary master planning was underway for the hospital site.
The old site is in the process of being decommissioned and will eventually house the new Warrawong Community Health Centre, being funded as part of the Shellharbour Hospital redevelopment.
Ms Stevenson, the Illawarra Women’s Health Centre Executive Director, said her uncertainty stemmed from discussions with health staff and a letter from outgoing Health Minister Brad Hazzard in December.
She wrote to Mr Hazzard to request a confirmation of boundaries, conditions and a timeline for their building – which is planned to be a fit-for-purpose centre of excellence to help women and children escaping domestic violence – but said his reply made it unclear whether the site would definitely be available.
Instead, the letter said the health department was committed to working to ensure that the trauma recovery centre was “considered” within the new plans for the old hospital site, she said, but couldn’t give any specifics until after master planning had taken place.
She wrote to Mr Hazzard to request a confirmation of boundaries, conditions and a timeline for their building – which is planned to be a fit-for-purpose centre of excellence to help women and children escaping domestic violence – but said his reply made it unclear whether the site would definitely be available.
Instead, the letter said the health department was committed to working to ensure that the trauma recovery centre was “considered” within the new plans for the old hospital site, she said, but couldn’t give any specifics until after master planning had taken place.
“We now not only don’t have certainty of the details, but also no certainty of the commitment altogether,” Ms Stevenson said.
“We are worried that the offer of Warrawong land will now disappear.”
She said the ambiguities contradicted Mr Hazzard’s statements made during Budget Estimates in September.
“The area shown to us was at the north-east corner of the Port Kembla hospital site and, given the size and location, we agreed it would be suitable.
“Based on the confidence the NSW Government gave us that this was a genuine offer, we ended negotiations on another site in Shellharbour.
“We acted in good faith and have been let down.”
Ms Stevenson said any delay in providing a physical space would leave women and children in the Illawarra with a dire lack of services, and also leaves $25 million in federal operational funding sitting unused while the region struggles.
She said government data showed domestic violence crime rates in suburbs like Cringila, Warilla, Oak Flats and Bellambi was sitting at two to five times above the state average.
https://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/8086252/let-down-uncertainty-over-land-promised-for-womens-trauma-recovery-centre/
