Page 2668 - Week 09 - Thursday, 16 September 2021
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leader when it comes to the mitigation and prevention of domestic and family violence throughout our community. That is why it was a great disappointment that the ANU review into the Family Violence Act 2016 sat without a response, without action, for a year, before the Canberra Liberals called on the government to formally respond to that scathing review. We know that this response was tabled earlier this afternoon.
Lack of action on the recommendations from that review prompted us to release an exposure draft of legislation designed to strengthen sentencing laws when it comes to family violence offences. This was released for public consultation in May this year. I acknowledge the Attorney-General for tabling the government bill, which in some way goes to addressing the issues that I raised with my draft legislation. We note, of course, that we are yet to debate these bills.
Madam Speaker, the Australian Human Rights Commission’s 2016 report titled A National System for Domestic and Family Violence Death Review highlighted the value and great importance of establishing a domestic and family violence review mechanism for all Australian jurisdictions. I note and commend that, at the time of this report’s release, the ACT had already committed to introducing a domestic and family violence death review mechanism, within the ACT government’s ongoing response to family violence.
Amongst the recommendations in the Human Rights Commission’s report was the need for cross-jurisdictional consistency in relation to how incident data was being collected and used. Consistency throughout the recording and review mechanisms in the states and territories ensures that right across Australia governments can work together more efficiently to undertake meaningful nationwide analysis into the root causes of these crimes. If we want to effectively address this insidious issue of domestic and family violence in our society, we must ensure that these incidents can be thoroughly reviewed and analysed.
This bill establishes a domestic and family violence review coordinator, who will lead the reviews into deaths occurring in the context of domestic and family violence. Whilst the establishment of this role will provide some independence from the Minister for the Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence, which will be essential to ensure that the integrity of their important role is maintained, and we welcome this amendment, I sincerely hope that this government provides adequate support and that the coordinator is not bogged down with bureaucratic red tape that takes vital resources away from essential services.
Every member in this place recognises the scourge on our society that is domestic and family violence. The physical, psychological, emotional and social harm of violence in the home or inside the trustful bounds of a domestic relationship can severely damage those affected for their entire lives. A family or a relationship ought to be a unit of protection, love and empathy in our society. Perpetrators of violence within the bounds of a domestic or family relationship betray the trust of vulnerable people, reliant upon them for protection, love and care. And our laws must reflect the particular evil that is domestic and family violence.
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