Arabic version: أم تطالب بتوسيع الوصول إلى الفحوص الجنائية في المناطق الإقليمية

According to ABC News, a Port Lincoln mother is calling for improved regional access to forensic testing after she and her daughter were directed to drive to Whyalla following the daughter’s sexual assault earlier this year.

The mother, who was not named by ABC News, said her daughter arrived home at about 1.30pm. After calls to emergency services, police statements and a consultation at Port Lincoln hospital, the family was told at 6pm to travel to the nearest qualified nurse, about 270 kilometres away in Whyalla.

The nurse was on a day off and came in after attending her daughter’s birthday dinner, the mother said. The forensic testing took three-and-a-half hours, and the family returned to Port Lincoln at 2am. The mother said the three-hour drive created further trauma and described the lack of an organised response as frustrating.

SA Health previously told ABC News that 12 staff in South Australia were qualified to conduct forensic examinations, including nine in Adelaide and three in regional areas. In September, the state government announced that skilled midwives would be able to undertake training to perform the examinations, following the Royal Commission into Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence.

Eyre and Far North Local Health Network chief executive Julie Marron said staff had expressed interest in the training, which would remain optional. She also said early evidence kits would be available in hospitals and to police to help preserve evidence before medical treatment or everyday needs such as eating, drinking or using the toilet. The mother said changes should be fast-tracked to better support victim-survivors and workers.