Page 1363 - Week 05 - Thursday, 26 April 1990
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Domestic violence is a difficult problem to address as it involves social attitudes towards women, human relationships and the family. However, there are several ways in which this Government is assisting victims of domestic violence. In my role as Attorney-General I am particularly concerned with legal initiatives for its prevention.
I recently attended a legal forum on domestic violence, which the Leader of the Opposition opened. She did not stay, but many of the rest of us stayed for most of the sessions. It was arranged by the Domestic Violence Crisis Service along with representatives from agencies involved in assisting survivors of domestic violence, including the police, the Legal Aid Office, the courts, the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Adult Corrective Services.
This excellent forum, organised by Heather McGregor of the Crisis Service, made it clear that legal agencies in the ACT recognise the importance of working together to prevent domestic violence. It was most significant that, late on a Friday afternoon, Heather McGregor and the service could get such a huge gathering - probably more than 200 people at one stage - on this topic. It demonstrates a clear community commitment to the concerns and the chance that we have of a bipartisan effort in this area.
One of the initiatives touched on was formal training for police in dealing with domestic violence. I am pleased to say that procedures have been developed in consultation with the Domestic Violence Crisis Service, which, as you know, is also called to all disputes but which will answer only if either party so requests and the police consider it safe to do so. So the police involvement is vitally important and must proceed in harmony with the Domestic Violence Crisis Service. They have put in enormous effort, to my personal knowledge, over the years in beating down community attitudes and gaining an acceptance of the inequality of women, which is fundamentally at the base of much of this problem.
Despite the legitimate criticisms that Ms Follett outlined, the ACT's domestic violence legislation is still at the cutting edge in this country. When one travels and when one is used to different legal jurisdictions in this country, one realises that that excellent band of people who got together in the early 1980s in the ACT and put together that legislation need to be congratulated for their foresight. Some States still do not have those processes. The introduction of the Domestic Violence Act at that time was a great boon to many people involved, including the practitioners, and I was numbered amongst those at the time. Much credit should go to our Chief Magistrate, Mr Cahill, in that regard, and the persons who assisted him in various lengthy committees.
This Government is committed to amending the Domestic Violence Act. The amendments that the Leader of the
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