The Port Lincoln community may receive more support for rape victims. There is currently only one trained doctor in town who can perform forensic investigation services following a sexual assault.
Important points:
- Currently, only a trained doctor can perform a forensic examination on a rape victim in Port Lincoln
- It was again requested that more nurses and doctors sign up for forensic examination training
- Victims have to drive almost three hours to Whyalla to be examined if the trained doctor is not in the area
The Director of Women’s Safety for the Women’s and Children’s Health Network, Katrina Dee, met with nurses and doctors at the Whyalla and Port Lincoln hospitals to see if more health professionals would be willing to support the service.
“Relying on just one person will be very difficult for the region and of course for that person and the police,” said Ms. Dee.
She said the Yarrow Place public health agency will train any nurse or doctor interested in health care responses to sexual assault and forensic evidence collection.
“The service also provides education and training for the broader health community to respond to sexual assault disclosures, including local and permanent health care workers,” Ms. Dee said.
Katrina Dee met with health professionals to gauge interest in forensic investigation training for sexual assault. (
Delivered: SA Health
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In 2019 A 25 year old woman was taken on a six hour round trip Access to a forensic investigation in Whyalla after being attacked in Port Lincoln.
It is still the case that in the event of a sexual assault in the city and when the trained doctor is not in the area, the victim’s closest point of contact is Whyalla if the victim wishes to take police action.
Ideally three trained employees
Ms. Dee said that ideally three trained employees in a regional area would be optimal, with Whyalla training three nurses for the service.
Sexual Assault Support Services:
“That seems workable. So if you have people who are on vacation or busy or can’t attend, you have a small group that you can contact to say, ‘Is anyone available?'” She said .
“If we had more than that, that would be fantastic.”
The Rape and Assault Service at Yarrow Place offers specialized services to victims. (
ABC News: Gabriella Marchant
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Ms. Dee said there was insufficient demand at this point to expand Yarrow Place services to Port Lincoln or areas in the north-central part of the state.
The Sexual Assault Agency is currently based in Mount Gambier, Riverland and Whyalla.
“We don’t have waiting lists for people in regional areas who want advice or assistance,” she said.
“That doesn’t mean that there is no sexual assault or that there are no people who need the service.
“But it can just be that people don’t ask for it. We base any kind of resource increase on evidence of increasing demand for it.”
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Health lens
Ms. Dee said health services are also important for women who do not want to report an attack to the police.
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“We have to remember that there are victims who do not want to conduct police operations,” she said.
“They just want a health response, so they want to be screened for a sexually transmitted disease or injury, and so we need to make sure we have qualified staff to do that too.
“These trauma have health consequences and we want the health system to be able to respond to them in a really safe way.”
From January 2020 to 2021 there were 2,015 sexual assaults and related crimes that were either reported or became known to the South Australian Police.
