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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 9 Hansard (28 August) . . Page.. 2710 ..

MRS CARNELL (Chief Minister) (3.26): Mr Speaker, for the information of members, I present the Government's response to Report No. 13 of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts entitled "Consultation with Assembly Committees on Appointments to Territory Owned Corporations", which was presented to the Assembly on 18 April 1996. I move:

That the Assembly takes note of the paper.

Question resolved in the affirmative.

MR HUMPHRIES (Attorney-General) (3.27): Mr Speaker, for the information of members, I present the Government's response to the Community Law Reform Committee's Report No. 9 on domestic violence. I move:

That the Assembly takes note of the paper.

I am pleased to respond to the findings and recommendations of the Community Law Reform Committee contained in Report No. 9 on domestic violence. The committee was given this reference in September 1991 and, after five years of exhaustive consideration, its two main recommendations constitute a strengthening of the criminal justice response to domestic violence and a coordinated interagency response.

Regarding a coordinated interagency response for the ACT, the committee's report has produced a blueprint for action incorporating the essential features of a model that originated in Duluth, Minnesota, and has worked successfully elsewhere, including in Hamilton, New Zealand. It is also being adopted in other parts of Australia, for example, Armadale in Western Australia. The model known as the Duluth model refers to a comprehensive, collaborative interagency approach involving interlocking agency procedures, case flow monitoring, feedback and information sharing, with the response being monitored by an independent coordinating body. It operates in a legislative and procedural environment by establishing explicit procedures which prioritise safety for victims above all other concerns and operates to encourage agencies to take the most effective actions possible at all levels of the justice system.

I am pleased to be able to say that a substantial number of recommendations of the committee have already been or are being implemented. The Australian Federal Police, ACT Region, have included a code in their relevant database to distinguish offences committed in the context of domestic violence. The database complies with a national standard for data collection to enable comparisons to be made between States and Territories. In addition, training modules and regional instructions are being reviewed and, if necessary, amended to reflect the intent of the committee's recommendations.

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