Dozens of jobs are being axed at the government agency that’s charged with reforming how Victoria handles family violence but the premier says it won’t affect frontline services.
Family Safety Victoria was set up within the Department of Health and Human Services in 2017 after the royal commission into family violence.
It was established to roll out reforms after the 2016 royal commission made 227 recommendations.
The agency is slated to have almost 80 roles axed, prompting questions to Dan Andrews about how he justified the cuts.
“Because we’ve invested $6 billion in family violence prevention – (it) might even be more than that now,” Mr Andrews told reporters on Sunday.
“There’ll be no impact on frontline services.
“We are just as urgent, just as active today as we’ve ever been and we are more so than any other jurisdiction in the country.”
Victoria was a “mile ahead” of others but there was still more to be done, the premier said.
“That’s why frontline services grow and we always look for efficiencies in non-frontline services,” he said.
Prioritising frontline services was how authorities achieved the best outcomes, the premier said.
The Department of Families, Fairness and Housing has been contacted for comment.
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