Questions without notice and ministers statements
Sexual offence reporting
Mr GRIMLEY (Western Victoria) (12:00): My question is to the Attorney-General. The government came out upon the release of the Victorian Law Reform Commission’s Improving the Justice System Response to Sexual Offences report saying that they would support a new affirmative consent model and a new stealthing offence, which is great news, but they have remained silent on the rest of the 91 recommendations. I have spoken in this place before about a sexual assault reporting option, or a SARO, including a constituent in my electorate who would have liked an online option to report their sexual assault. Recommendations 19 and 20 of the VLRC report recommended a SARO equivalent through both centres against sexual assault and Victoria Police. New South Wales has a SARO through police, and it is hugely successful. My office has spoken to the individuals who run their SARO program, and the results are incredible. Victoria used to have such a scheme run through the South Eastern Centre Against Sexual Assault, but it was a victim of its own success and shut down due to underfunding. Attorney, will the state government acknowledge that Victoria needs an online, confidential, anonymous reporting option and commit to its implementation?
Ms SYMES (Northern Victoria—Leader of the Government, Attorney-General, Minister for Emergency Services) (12:01): I thank Mr Grimley for his question and indeed acknowledgement of the great work of the VLRC report into sexual harm and the justice response. We know that sexual assault of any kind is appalling and must be stopped and called out, and it is our intention to respond to the VLRC report. As you have identified, we were able to commit to the creation of new offences in relation to stealthing and affirmative consent, but, Mr Grimley, you would appreciate that we need to take time to consider a response to a range of the other recommendations. Although you are of the view that the New South Wales model is something that could be replicated here in Victoria, that is by no means an uncontested view. Many experts have told us that the model would not be fit for purpose in Victoria, and therefore it is certainly incumbent upon me to take due consideration and time to appropriately respond to the VLRC’s report as part of a whole-of-government strategy on sexual offending that I have committed to developing. This is an important matter that you raise, but it is not something that you can just acquit without due consideration of victim-survivors and service providers and how things would operate in Victoria.
Mr GRIMLEY (Western Victoria) (12:02): Thanks, Attorney. I am a little bit disappointed by that statement. It is something that not only the VLRC report has called for but also academics such as Associate Professor Georgina Heydon, who is currently investigating best practice for sexual assault reporting options, RMIT’s Centre for Innovative Justice, Victoria Police, the Victorian Centres Against Sexual Assault Forum and victim-survivors. There are clearly things that need to be worked through, like you stated, and these include resourcing the scheme adequately so the reports can be responded to in short time frames, how mandatory reporting of children might intersect, how data should or could be stored and how security can be maintained, but it should not stop the recommendations from being acted upon. If the government will not commit to acquitting this recommendation of providing alternative reporting options for sexual assault survivors, how will you address these clear gaps in reporting?
Ms SYMES (Northern Victoria—Leader of the Government, Attorney-General, Minister for Emergency Services) (12:03): Mr Grimley, your supplementary question is a little confusing because in one sense you are acknowledging that we need to work through these issues but then you are saying that we should commit to a particular outcome. We have committed to responding to the VLRC’s report to indeed make it easier for victims to report and to be supported throughout a complaints process. We have a range of commitments to progress these matters. I am not in a position to confirm whether your view is right, because I am not an expert in this. I am not prepared to say, ‘I know what’s right in relation to reporting of sexual offending’. It is incumbent upon me as the Attorney to speak to several people. I am happy to continue conversations with you on your views, but I cannot tell you whether you are right or not because there are lots of people that say currently they do not have the same view as you. I am not going to commit to something that you suggest I should do without proper consultation and consideration of all of the VLRC’s recommendations. If we can bring out some more earlier, which we have done with stealthing and affirmative consent, certainly I can do that.