PHOTO: Builder John Adams, CatholicCare Wilcannia-Forbes business development manager Mark Noonan, Catholic Diocese of Wilcannia-Forbes Bishop Columba Macbeth-Green, Condobolin parish representative Helen Atkinson, Condobolin parish priest Father Getulio Gonclaves, and Condobolin parish representative Tony Broadley at the project site.
Domestic violence is rampant across Australia and the Western Plains region has the dubious distinction of ranking highly in the statistics with safe housing refuge not always available.
Communities are often left to find their own solutions and a project is currently underway in the Lachlan Shire to meet the needs of local victims seeking shelter.
In NSW over 40,000 persons aged 15 and over experienced at least one episode of physical violence by an intimate partner or family member within a 12 month period, which equates to approximately one in every 155 persons. The statistics show trends in the rate of domestic violence related assault recorded by NSW Police remain stable but these figures are still way too high…