A bipartisan Federal Election $20m commitment to fund a women’s and children’s trauma recovery centre in the Central Coast has been welcomed by the Illawarra Women’s Health Centre (Illawarra WHC) and its special project, the Illawarra Women’s Trauma Recovery Centre (Women’s TRC).
According to Coast Community News, the Australian Labor Party and the Liberal-National Coalition have pledged $20 million to establish a new trauma recovery centre in East Gosford.
The proposed Coast Women’s and Children’s Trauma Recovery Centre, a collaboration between Pacific Link Housing and the Central Coast Community Women’s Health Centre, will provide critical, wraparound, trauma-sensitive services to up to 500 women and children affected by domestic, family and sexual violence each year.
The Illawarra WHC opened the Women’s TRC in September 2024, following $25m in Federal funding.
It is a place for women to heal and rebuild their lives if they have or are experiencing domestic, family and sexual violence and has a range of services to support women in living secure and independent lives.
Executive Director of the Illawarra WHC, Sally Stevenson, said this newest pledge is a milestone moment for community-led solutions to domestic family and sexual violence.
“The bipartisan support for the East Gosford centre reflects a growing recognition at the national level that trauma recovery must be central to Australia’s response to the epidemic of gender-based violence,” she said.
“This is not only a commitment to crisis response but a step toward long-term recovery and systemic change.”
Women’s TRC CEO Maree Kerr welcomed the announcement.
“We at the Illawarra Women’s Health Centre understand the transformational impact of dedicated, long-term trauma recovery care,” she said.
“Our experience shows that when women and their children are provided with safety, housing, therapeutic care, and integrated services under one roof, they not only survive violence—they can heal, reclaim their lives, and thrive.”
Announcing Labor’s election pledge, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said investing in frontline services was key.
“We must end the scourge of violence against women,” he said. “We know we have a great deal more work to do, and we cannot be satisfied until the violence stops.
“Investing in centres like this is crucial, so women know they have a safe place to go.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton supported the announcement emphasising the importance of early intervention and community-based models.
The announcement of the East Gosford trauma recovery centre follows sustained advocacy from Pacific Link Housing, the Central Coast Women’s Health Centre, and a broad coalition of service providers and community organisations working to address domestic, family, and sexual violence.
The announcement comes after a call from specialist domestic and family violence services across New South Wales for the government to increase baseline funding urgently.
The article published in the Illawarra Mercury said that according to Domestic Violence NSW (DVNSW), 96 per cent of frontline services have reported a spike in demand over the past year. Many are facing weeks, even months-long waitlists, as more women seek support in the face of escalating violence.
The Mercury also highlighted data from the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR), which shows that domestic violence-related assaults in the Illawarra increased by 8.2 per cent in the two years to December 2024.
Meanwhile, breaches of apprehended domestic violence orders (ADVOs) jumped nearly 30 per cent in Wollongong and 21 per cent in Shellharbour.
