Wednesday, 29 October 2025

 Tim RICHARDSON (Mordialloc) (10:28): It is an opportunity to rise to speak on the committee report that was tabled by the Legal and Social Issues Committee, Building the Evidence Base: Inquiry into Capturing Data on People Who Use Family Violence in Victoria. A lot of the time this Parliament is quite a combative setting, or an adversarial setting in a question time frame, but when we get the opportunity to do reports in committees and that work there can be some extensive contributions made. This inquiry, led by the magnificent member for Lara, who has done a couple of significant inquiries as chair already, is an incredible contribution to how we respond to people who use violence and capture data and evidence around that. I give a shout-out to the member for Euroa as deputy chair. But I have had some chats with the member for Lara, and her depth of knowledge of this sector is immense and her care and understanding of where we need to go and how we have line of sight on people who use violence. Over 60,000 people are on Victoria Police’s radar. We know that is people who have had an interaction through an intervention order or a person who has used violence in a context of family violence, intimate partner violence or former partner violence. It is substantial. And that is the number that is reported – it is such a higher factor in our community of impact and harm beyond that number.

In those critical moments where we have a person at risk of using violence, it is critical that services and agencies share information. The multi-agency risk assessment and management framework is something that Victoria can be so greatly proud of. The multifaceted approach to risk management and assessment is nation-leading. It is going through its own formal review at the moment. We have men’s behaviour change minimum standards work going on, and I give a huge shout-out to the current minister, who is integral in this space. The Minister for Prevention of Family Violence Natalie Hutchins has been immense in this space – and the minister before, Minister Ward, the member for Eltham. I have had the chance to work for both as Parliamentary Secretary for Men’s Behaviour Change. They have been outstanding leaders in this space.

If we do not have the data, if we do not have the information and if we do not have the eyes of our agencies on people that use violence, the increase in risk is substantial, because 2 per cent of those that perpetrate harm in a family violence context account for 40 per cent of the harm impact. If we go to a crisis frame and have eyes on those people, have understanding of the data and drive their accountability in the future – so they have to front up to their use of violence, understand that – then how do we over time change behaviours? These are the critical elements.

The role that I have as Parliamentary Secretary for Men’s Behaviour Change is about what works over time to hold people’s accountability in a really difficult policy setting and then, over time, what changes behaviours. That is the critical web right now: there is the family safety package that was announced in 2024, and there are the most recent 106 recommendations in the rolling action plan that was launched by the Minister for Prevention of Family Violence. These are the critical elements, and time matters in every element. We know that people are more susceptible to engaging with a men’s behaviour change program in those critical 72 hours. As time ticks on and if Orange Door is not able to reach them, their malleability to change starts to solidify, and they will be more hardened in their resolve to not seek out programs and accountability going forward.

When we have the shared data, when we are flexible, when agencies are able to use the central information point and come together and connect and when we have assertive outreach for people we think are at risk of using violence, then all those elements together with the recommendations of this inquiry are critical. I know the minister and the cabinet take this information seriously.

As we head towards the 16 days of activism in November, it is a critical time for us to think about those people that use violence. Next week in Canberra is the launch of the Adolescent Man Box report. The Man Box, launched by Jesuit Social Services, is one of the leading voices on what changes behaviours. If you have got more elements of the Man Box, you are more likely to have damaging stereotypes and attitudes towards women and girls. The Willing, Capable and Confident report, which was launched by Respect Victoria, is internationally renowned and leading. So when Kate Fitz-Gibbon and Matt Tyler launch that at the press club on 6 November, next week, this will be a substantial moment for our nation for accountability, data and making sure that we lower instances of violence over time.