Page 678 - Week 03 - Tuesday, 23 March 1993
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Counselling and education is not offered to those found guilty of burglary, for instance, or indeed assault against a stranger in any other instance. However, given that violence is partly a product of social conditioning of males in particular, reinforced in so many ways, as are males' attitudes to women and their wives, much can be gained through an education program that is reinforced with harsh penalties if the behaviour is not remedied. To achieve this we must aim for fundamental changes in the judicial and police responses to domestic violence. I think arrest is to be encouraged, as well as the imposition of harsher legal sanctions.
The philosophy is one of a community response to domestic violence rather than the onus being placed on the victims. Counselling and other treatment for offenders should be imposed by the court as a condition of protection or probation orders. The offenders ought to pay for these programs where possible. If the offender consistently fails to attend the program or continues violent behaviour there ought to be a swift legal response to the breach of the court order as a demonstration that the order to attend a program ought to be taken very seriously by the offender. If the Duluth model is to be taken on by the ACT Government, may I strongly suggest that the education program address the belief systems so endemic in our society - here I reiterate what I think all the speakers have mentioned tonight - that lead to violent behaviour. I refer to those concerned with notions of control and ownership in relationships. Many men need to be shown non-controlling ways of relating to women as well as creative ways to solve disagreement and conflict.
Fifthly, it is hoped that the ACT will also have an agency that facilitates information exchanges with all other agencies, not only to save duplication but also to establish accurate data on the incidence and treatment of domestic violence. I think that these suggestions, so competently brought up in the report, are but starting points to a long-term solution to dealing with a crime that we must all take very seriously on a national level. Mrs Carnell, in her speech, Madam Speaker, mentioned a notion of preventative measures. I think it is important that men particularly stand out against domestic violence. I remember proudly, at the end of last year, at the beginning of December, wearing a white ribbon to represent for the particular week Men against Sexual Abuse, which, of course, is but one form of domestic violence. I think it is important that more and more men stand up and say to other men, "We do not approve of this; that is not necessary and it is entirely inappropriate; violence is no solution". For a strong male, violence is no solution. Whenever possible, men need to stand up and be counted, and be counted clearly, as being against domestic violence.
MR STEVENSON (8.45): Madam Speaker, domestic violence includes violence against men and violence against children as well as violence against women, as we all know. Governments in Australia have highlighted the violence against women, particularly in TV advertisements which have increased awareness of this matter, but governments, in general, have done very little to handle the underlying causes of such violence. Many government policies actually aggravate these underlying causes. We know that there are heavy programs to do with non-smoking; yet little is done with the goal of reducing alcohol consumption. Governments have equated de facto relationships, to a large degree, with marriage and thereby have cheapened that role for women. There have been injustices caused to men by sexual discrimination and affirmative action legislation. The no fault provision in the Family Law Act has caused great concern to innocent spouses.
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