Thursday, 30 May 2024

Ministers statements: family violence

Jaclyn SYMES (Northern Victoria – Attorney-General, Minister for Emergency Services) (12:39): I have touched on some of these issues today, but I would like to send us home on a Thursday talking again about the Allan Labor government’s commitment to tackling family violence and women’s safety related issues. I have been working in this space for many, many years, and I have seen our response to family violence having been built from the ground up and continually improved because it has been a continual focus of this government. I commend the efforts of courts, police, legal services and especially the victim-survivors and their advocates who have come forward to share their stories and experiences. I am proud to have delivered recent legislative reform in this space, such as the 22 protections for victims of sexual offences. We introduced an affirmative model of consent, made stealthing a crime and introduced new jury directions to address common misconceptions about sexual violence, just to name a few. Last year we did changes to non-fatal strangulation and made it a standalone offence, highlighting that it is the reddest of red flags and a precursor to serious injury or death, predominantly for women.

But there is always more to do. We need to ensure police can appropriately charge offenders and the justice system can hold perpetrators to account. Part of our announcements today include strengthening laws, and we will introduce a new minimum length for family violence intervention orders and improve service options, work with stakeholders to look at giving police the power to issue longer family violence safety notices or a version of an intervention order, change the offence of stalking to ensure it is clearer and improve personal safety intervention orders. The reforms announced today address what we have heard from victims, from the police, from the courts and from those amazing advocates, and we will consult thoroughly on any further changes. We will work out the exact details and we will have legislation in 2025.

We know that you cannot just focus on the justice system when it comes to addressing women’s safety and think that that will fix it. There is so much more to do – it is a bigger picture. That is why I am very pleased to be co-leading the ministerial action working group to continue looking at how we can further prevent and respond to family violence and keep women and children safe.