Page 4041 - Week 13 - Wednesday, 26 November 2014
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to analyse data that was collected by agencies that participated in the FVIP from 2005 to 2008. After completion of the report, additional data from 2008-09 and 2009-10 was made available by FVIP to participating agencies.
The Australian Institute of Criminology evaluation of the FVIP was published in September 2012. I would encourage those members with an ongoing interest in this matter, and family violence matters generally, to look at the evaluation of the family violence intervention program here in Canberra. It is a program that I believe we can be very proud of for its efforts to provide a joined-up justice system response to victims of family violence.
The Domestic Violence Prevention Council, which is the advisory body that reports to me on domestic violence matters, has formed a subcommittee to look at the issue of data and, in particular, to identify possible approaches to developing and establishing better data gathering and analysis of that data for domestic violence here in the ACT. As I have said, the intention is to provide for that data to be incorporated into the quarterly criminal justice statistical profile which is tabled in this place.
The issue about appropriate reporting of family violence data was raised by the National Council to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children. The national council raised as an area for improvement the need for adequate data and evaluation to inform understanding of what works best and why, to ensure that government and community investments are effective in reducing and preventing violence against women and their children.
The council noted that setting the baseline for monitoring change over time, agreed by all governments, is essential. For this reason all jurisdictions across Australia have agreed, through the national plan, to a commitment to national data collection and reporting. In the long term, the aim is to create nationally consistent data definitions and collection methods. The ACT government is closely involved in these national discussions.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics has also developed a paper titled “Bridging the data gaps for family, domestic and sexual violence” in support of the national plan. This paper identifies priority themes for data enhancement that can assist in improving the evidence base for family, domestic and sexual violence in Australia, and also highlights the importance of consistency and standardisation when collecting this data.
So, as members can see, we are closely engaged in both national discussions and a local process to improve the way we collect and report data on domestic violence in our community. Whether it is through those discussions nationally to have a common baseline so that all jurisdictions across the states and territories report family violence data consistently and allow for good comparisons and analysis to be undertaken at a national level or whether it is improving transparency locally on our understanding of the full picture of violence against women and children here in Canberra, there is significant work being undertaken.
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