Overcoming cross border issues at Mallee Sexual Assault Unit

At Mallee Sexual Assault Unit (Mallee SAU), things work a little differently.

Not only does the centre work with Victorian clients, but also cross-border clients from New South Wales too.

Mallee SAU provides services for women, men and children throughout the Northern and Southern Mallee region, the border communities of New South Wales, the Mallee Track and Shires of Gannawarra and Buloke.

As expected, covering this enormous geographical area comes with its challenges. “We have multiple cross border issues to deliver [the] services,” said Mallee SAU manager Lisa-Marie Stevens.

Lisa-Marie notes that the centre provides several support options for clients: face-to-face and phone support, or “whatever method or mode is best for the client, depending on the geographical distance that we cover”.

The centre also uses outreach satellite sites to ensure that populations living in smaller communities are still able to access Mallee SAU’s specialist support services.