Victims of domestic violence will not have to retell their stories over and over when seeking help under plans for dedicated case managers and a centralised database, the NSW government says.
Minister for Women Pru Goward on Sunday announced the launch of a new domestic and family violence framework aimed at providing a quicker, more co-ordinated response system for victims.
The government's It Stops Here initiative, funded from a $9.8 million package, will give victims a single contact point in a specialised domestic violence worker who will organise everything a victim needs.
A new state-wide database is also being set up so details of victims and incidents can be shared among police, courts and health and welfare agencies.
The new initiative aims to stop victims having to retell their stories to police, lawyers, doctors and other assisting agencies.
"We know domestic violence victims have been waiting long enough for a truly co-ordinated and victim-centred support system," Ms Goward said.
She said the auditor-general in 2011 criticised the old system under which services were not co-ordinated.
"This meant domestic violence victims had to explain their situation again every time they needed help.
"Being a victim of domestic violence is bad enough; having a system that turned victims off getting help was even worse," Ms Goward said.
Two new central referral points will be established in Orange and Waverley and be up and running by the middle of the year to trial the system, the minister said.
It's expected up to 24 such centres will eventually be set up across NSW.
"Orange and Waverley are two places where they have high rates of domestic violence but not so high that we can't iron out the wrinkles in the new system," Ms Goward told ABC Radio on Sunday.
"We have legislated to enable information sharing to occur but information sharing takes practice, you have to know what to share and what is private."
Ms Goward said that on average one woman was killed by her partner or former partner every week in Australia and domestic violence was the greatest cause of death and disability for women under the age of 40.
Domestic violence was also estimated to cost the NSW economy more than $4.5 billion a year, she said.
