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Friday July 15th 2022
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FEATURE PROPERTY 52 Van Moolenbroeks Rd, Balnagowan Rural Lifestyle So Close To Town
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UPGRADE FAST TRACKED FOR STADIUM State Government Funding Announced read on page 16
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(L-R) Member for Mackay Julieanne Gilbert, Attorney-General, Minister for Justice, Minister for Women and the Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence Shannon Fentiman and Councillor Belinda Hassan at the Mackay Courthouse to announce funding towards better services and facilities for domestic, family and sexual abuse victims. Photo credit: Amanda Wright
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three years. These recommendations were part of the Women’s Safety and Justice Taskforce, headed by the Honourable Margaret McMurdo AC. The Taskforce was established in March 2021 to examine coercive control, and review both the need for a specific offence of ‘domestic violence’ and the experience of women across the criminal justice system. It was also announced that the Mackay Courthouse will undergo a $3 million transformation which will include a new secure safe room and other refurbishments to make the justice system
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process less harrowing for victims of abuse. The Attorney-General said the current facilities at the Mackay Courthouse aren’t tailored to making women feel safe, and that the upgrades will help to encourage more victims to come forward. “We need secure, safe spaces for multiple women and their children. It needs to be a relaxing space where they can access services, and there needs to be separate entrances for victims entering the court so they don’t have to come face-to-face with their alleged perpetrator,” Minister Fentiman said. Continued on page 3
FAST AND FURIOUS FUN Motorbike Beach Races A Roaring Success read on page 26
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urvivors of domestic, family and sexual violence will have a safer place to access support, after the State Government announced a major funding boost to service providers and court facilities across the Mackay and Whitsunday region. Attorney-General, Minister for Justice, Minister for Women and the Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence Shannon Fentiman visited Mackay last week to reveal local domestic, family and sexual violence (DFSV) services would receive an extra $900,000, as part of a $22.5 million boost for services across the state over the next
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