Page 1207 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 24 June 1992
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MS SZUTY (4.32): Madam Speaker, following the introduction of the Commonwealth Privacy Act in 1988, the Australian Federal Police and the Domestic Violence Crisis Service found that they were unable to communicate and liaise on incidents of domestic violence. While the police have used interim practices to call the Domestic Violence Crisis Service and to obtain assistance, these have of necessity been restrictive and, unfortunately, not in the best interests of the victims of domestic violence. The passage of these amendments to the Domestic Violence Act allows the exchange of information so that services can be delivered quickly and effectively.
My advice is that relationships between the Australian Federal Police and the Domestic Violence Crisis Service are improving due to greater communication between the two organisations. This is encouraging for the future well-being of the functioning of the two groups. By removing an impediment to the transfer of information from the police to the Domestic Violence Crisis Service, we must be improving the circumstances under which both operate in these situations.
I would like to impress upon the Assembly the work done by the Domestic Violence Crisis Service. In the first four months of this year, counsellors have handled 548 contact cases, consisting of 276 crisis visits, 207 court appearances and 65 follow-up cases. These are figures for only the first four months of this year. Think about it: 276 new crisis cases in four months, 276 people who were victims of domestic violence in their own homes at the hands of relatives or the people they live with. Statistics over the past four years show that the Domestic Violence Crisis Service can be called on to give assistance to between 40 and 90 cases in any one month. Domestic violence is a much understated crime in our society, and anything we can do to assist its victims and those who help them deal with the trauma and reconstruct their lives is important.
On top of this workload, which represents almost 552 hours of direct contact in extremely stressful situations, the service also received in the same four-month period 1,147 phone calls on the domestic violence crisis line. These were new contacts, not follow-ups. So, 1,147 people, predominantly women, felt the need in the first four months of this year to contact someone for assistance after they were assaulted. On top of this, 276 women needed crisis intervention assistance with or without police. Just to elaborate, there are times when the perpetrator leaves and the victim calls the Domestic Violence Crisis Service rather than the police. There are many reasons for this - as many as there are people affected by domestic violence.
The figures I have quoted are not abnormal. A review of statistics since 1989 shows that 1992 is a typical year. There have been some particularly frightening months for statistics concerning domestic violence. In December 1990 there were 99 crisis calls and in the following month, January 1991, 93. These are not just numbers. They represent people who have been abused by those closest to them. But these figures do show what an enormous problem domestic violence is in the ACT not only to those victims directly affected but also to relatives and friends of those victims.
The issue on which these amendments are based has been a concern for confidentiality, which has been addressed by the Privacy Act. The amendments before us recognise that need by providing for accreditation of various groups as crisis support organisations. I am confident that its record will ensure the
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