Prevention of Family and Domestic Violence Minister Simone McGurk has paid tribute to well-known family and domestic violence campaigner Angela Hartwig, who died today.
Ms Hartwig was the chief executive of the Women's Council for Domestic and Family Violence Services Western Australia for more than 25 years, up until her resignation in October this year.
She first worked in a women's refuge in 1987 and has touched many lives in her long and distinguished career.
Ms Hartwig's advocacy and academic work were instrumental in the development and implementation of the Safe at Home program, which helps women and children to safely stay in their own homes after separation from their abuser.
Under Ms Hartwig's leadership, the Women's Council for Domestic and Family Violence Services WA worked with government on a number of other important initiatives, including:
- systemic changes to the State's women's refuge framework;
- the introduction of a specific offence for non-fatal strangulation; and
- the development of Path to Safety: Western Australia's Strategy to Reduce Family and Domestic Violence 2020-2030.
As stated by Prevention of Family and Domestic Violence Minister Simone McGurk:
"Angela Hartwig has been an incredible advocate for the safety of women and children in Western Australia and beyond.
"She has worked tirelessly for decades to protect and support those experiencing family and domestic violence, and engaged at a grassroots level throughout her career to ensure her work was informed by the lived experience of survivors of domestic and family violence.
"Ms Hartwig's significant legacy includes reforms to the delivery of services to women and children experiencing family and domestic violence through women's refuges and other programs, such as Safe at Home.
"I am deeply saddened by her passing, and would like to pass on my condolences to her family, friends and colleagues."
