Addressing parliament, Ms Cleeland highlighted the prevalence of family violence breaches as the most common offence across multiple local government areas in the electorate.
Ms Cleeland described this as a family violence crisis, noting the lack of dedicated contact points for victims in Seymour and Benalla.
She spoke on a bill to classify non-fatal strangulation as a distinct domestic violence offence, emphasising the heightened risk it poses.
“With family violence being an epidemic in our community, it is so important that we can recognise the signs to support victim-survivors,” she said.
“And now, through this legislation, (we can) make sure those committing the crimes are sufficiently punished.”
A Victorian Government spokesperson said that since the Royal Commission into Family Violence, the government had invested more than $3.86 billion to significantly improve the way authorities prevented and responded to family and sexual violence.
“This investment has delivered nation-leading responses which have increased awareness about family violence and made it easier to seek help and support closer to home through the state-wide rollout of The Orange Door,” the spokesperson said.
The Orange Door is a Victorian Government initiative that provides help for people experiencing family violence or who need assistance with the care and wellbeing of children and young people.
“We have also invested in programs and responses which work with people who use violence to hold them to account and help change their behaviour, as well as primary prevention initiatives which work to stop the violence from happening in the first place,” the spokesperson said.
