2.191
The Committee recommends that the Australian Government work with state and territory governments to adopt a uniform definition of family, domestic and sexual violence, which:
reflects a common understanding of the features and dynamics of such violence and the breadth of relationships in which violence can occur;
encompasses a broad range of violence, including but not limited to coercive control, reproductive coercion, economic abuse, and complex forms of violence, such as forced marriage, female genital mutilation/cutting and dowry abuse; and
recognises the diversity of victim-survivors and perpetrators and the particular vulnerability of certain groups.
2.204
The Committee recommends that the next National Plan include quantitative measures, which should be agreed following consultation with non-government organisations, experts, and victim-survivors.
The Committee proposes the following measures for consideration:
reduction in the number of deaths attributed to family, domestic and sexual violence;
reduction in the rate of incidents of family, domestic and sexual violence;
reduction in the rate of re-offending by perpetrators;
reduction in the rate of family, domestic and sexual violence in diverse communities, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people; LGBTQI people; culturally and linguistically diverse people; and people with disability;
increase in the availability and quality of support services for victim-survivors;
significant and long-term increase in the number of perpetrators attending and completing perpetrator behaviour change programs;
reduction in the number of incidents of family, domestic and sexual violence involving alcohol and/or other drugs;
reduction in the number of incidents of family, domestic and sexual violence involving children as either victim-survivors or perpetrators;
reduction in the number of incidents of family, domestic and sexual violence involving elder abuse, whether within the aged care system or in the home;
increase in the reporting rate of incidents of family, domestic and sexual violence; and
significant improvement in community awareness and understanding of, and attitudes about, all forms of family, domestic and sexual violence.
2.205
The Committee recommends that the next National Plan be inclusive of the diversity of victim-survivors. In particular, the next National Plan should recognise the rights and needs of:
children in their own right;
people living with a disability.
Further, the Committee recommends that the Australian Government, and state and territory governments, ensure that the next National Plan and the National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children 2009-2020 are clearly aligned.
2.206
The Committee recommends that the next National Plan seek to prevent all forms of family, domestic and sexual violence, including physical violence, sexual violence, exposure to violence in childhood, repeated violence, non-physical forms of violence including coercive control and technology-facilitated abuse, and complex forms of violence such as forced marriage, female genital mutilation/cutting and dowry abuse.
2.207
The Committee recommends that the next National Plan be named the ‘National plan to reduce family, domestic and sexual violence’.
2.208
The Committee recommends that the next National Plan promote and enhance an integrated whole-of-service-system response to family, domestic and sexual violence across jurisdictions.
2.209
The Committee recommends that the next National Plan promote and enhance a whole-of-society response to family, domestic and sexual violence that involves businesses, community groups and other non‑government bodies, as well as governments.
2.210
The Committee recommends that responsibility for the implementation of the next National Plan continue to rest with the Department of Social Services.
2.218
The Committee recommends that the Australian Government direct and appropriately resource the Australian Bureau of Statistics to conduct the Personal Safety Survey on an annual basis and ensure that the survey collects information about the prevalence of specific forms of family, domestic and sexual violence and complex forms of violence.
2.219
The Committee recommends that the Australian Government direct and appropriately resource the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare to develop a national data collection on service-system contacts with victim-survivors and perpetrators, including data from primary health care, ambulance, emergency department, police, justice, and legal services.
Further, the Committee recommends that the Australian Government, and state and territory governments, provide appropriate funding and support to service providers to implement consistent data collection procedures.
2.220
The Committee recommends that the Australian Government direct and appropriately resource the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare to develop a national data collection on the use of, and unmet demand for, specialist family, domestic and sexual violence services.
2.221
The Committee recommends that the Australian Government lead the development of a national family, domestic and sexual violence death toll.
Further, the Committee recommends the Australian Government consider the need for additional measures to ensure better integration of data from family, domestic and sexual violence death reviews across all Australian jurisdictions.
2.227
The Committee recommends that the Australian Government, and state and territory governments, continue to provide increased funding for frontline family, domestic and sexual violence services in the COVID-19 pandemic.
2.228
The Committee recommends that the next National Plan include measures informed by the experience of family, domestic and sexual violence in the COVID-19 pandemic, including but not limited to:
integration of family, domestic and sexual violence in emergency planning and disaster response frameworks;
increased support for the health and welfare of frontline workers, at all times but particularly during emergencies and disasters; and
increased use of technology and new service delivery models to improve access to services.
3.185
The Committee recommends that the Australian Government seek the agreement of state and territory governments to make a representative of the Australian Local Government Association a member of the National Federation Reform Council Taskforce on Women’s Safety.
3.186
The Committee recommends that the Australian Government and state and territory governments directly involve local government in the development and implementation of the next National Plan. If not achieved through the Australian Local Government Association’s (ALGA) membership on the National Federation Reform Council Taskforce on Women’s Safety, another appropriate mechanism should be utilised to facilitate ALGA’s engagement.
3.187
The Committee recommends that the Australian Government and each state and territory government co-fund on a 50-50 basis a dedicated family and domestic violence policy officer in each state and territory local government association for an initial period of five years.
In addition, the Australian Government and state and territory governments should work with the Australian Local Government Association to consider whether additional resources are required to assist individual local governments to have a more active role in preventing and responding to family, domestic and sexual violence, and to implement the Prevention toolkit for local government.
3.199
The Committee recommends that the next National Plan include a commitment to improve the transparency of funding for family, domestic and sexual violence programs and services.
The Committee further recommends that Australian Government funding provided to state and territory governments for family, domestic and sexual violence programs and services be linked to requirements that those governments:
fund related programs and services within their own jurisdictions on an agreed minimum ratio basis of the funding provided by the Australian Government; and
report regularly on their own funding for related programs and services.
3.200
The Committee recommends that the Australian Government, in consultation with state and territory governments, develop a needs-based funding methodology to account for variations in the presentation of family, domestic and sexual violence in different jurisdictions.
This methodology should be applied to future Australian Government and state and territory governments’ funding for family, domestic and sexual violence programs.
3.210
The Committee recommends that the next National Plan include a commitment to an ongoing program of independent and transparent monitoring and evaluation, which:
includes formal opportunities for victim-survivors and other non-government stakeholders to provide input; and
is overseen by the proposed National Commissioner for the prevention of family, domestic and sexual violence, or another independent body.
3.211
The Committee recommends that the next National Plan include a commitment to provide funding for Australia's National Research Organisation for Women's Safety for the life of the plan.
3.212
The Committee recommends that the Australian Government ensure that specific family, domestic and sexual violence programs funded either directly or indirectly by the Australian Government include funding for a standardised evaluation component. Evaluations should be published where possible.
Further, the Committee recommends that the Australian Government, in consultation with state and territory governments, consider the need for:
the development of accredited standards or agreed outcomes measures to guide evaluations of family, domestic and sexual violence programs and services;
additional support and training to assist organisations in undertaking evaluations; and
a national platform for the publication of evaluations.
3.221
The Committee recommends that the Australian Government establish as an independent statutory office a National Commissioner for the prevention of family, domestic and sexual violence.
The functions of the Commissioner should include promoting and enhancing a whole-of-government, cross-jurisdictional approach to policy development, research, data collection, and monitoring and evaluation with respect to family, domestic and sexual violence initiatives.
The Commissioner should:
report to the Minister for Social Services;
be an ex officio observer on the National Federation Reform Council Taskforce on Women’s Safety;
be responsible for monitoring and evaluation of the next National Plan;
provide a formal mechanism for consultation with victim-survivors and non-government organisations; and
provide an annual report to the Parliament.
The Commissioner should be provided with appropriate resources to perform its functions for the duration of the next National Plan.
4.265
The Committee recommends that the Australian Government and state and territory governments develop shared principles to guide any future offences of coercive and controlling behaviour, with a view to ensuring consistency across jurisdictions to the extent possible.
These principles should address:
the behaviours and patterns of behaviour captured by any new offences;
the breadth of relationships captured by any new offences;
the standard of proof required by any new offences;
mitigating the impact of any new offences on groups with particular vulnerabilities; and
associated implementation issues, including but not limited to minimum standards for training in any new offences; and, very importantly, public awareness raising about any new offences.
4.270
The Committee recommends that the Australian Government fund a specific public awareness campaign about coercive and controlling behaviour as a form of family, domestic and sexual violence and a predictor of severe physical violence and homicide.
4.271
The Committee recommends that the Australian Government, and state and territory governments, develop and provide funding for training for the identification of coercive and controlling behaviour for police; justice and legal sector practitioners; and health, mental health, social services, and specialist family, domestic and sexual violence service workers.
The Committee further recommends that the Australian Government and state and territory governments consider developing minimum standards for training on coercive control and including training on coercive control in relevant professional qualifications.
4.272
The Committee recommends that the Australian Government and state and territory governments undertake a review of relevant risk identification, risk assessment, and risk management practices to ensure that coercive and controlling behaviour is adequately captured.
4.279
The Committee recommends that the Australian Government continue funding for critical research around the context, motives and outcomes of technology-facilitated abuse—in particular, by providing dedicated funding to the Office of the eSafety Commissioner and Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety.
4.280
Based on recommendations from the eSafety Commissioner, the Committee recommends that the Australian Government, in cooperation with state and territory governments where applicable:
Develop and implement education initiatives that drive cultural change and increase awareness about the abusive nature and legal implications of technology-facilitated abuse, focused on women and girls at risk of experiencing technology-facilitated abuse and men and boys at risk of perpetrating it.
Through a process of co-design, work with at-risk communities to develop resources to raise their awareness of technology-facilitated abuse and their capacity to identify and manage it.
Develop resources for children and young people to help them understand and manage the ways that technology is used in family, domestic and sexual violence.
Develop and implement capacity building initiatives to increase all women’s and girls’ skills in online safety and digital literacy.
Embed comprehensive and nationally coordinated respectful relationships and online safety education into the Australian curriculum across all learning stages.
Facilitate more gender-balanced science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) industries by developing initiatives to upskill and reskill women for entry opportunities and leadership pathways in STEM.
Ensure Australia is represented on, and contributes to, global initiatives and coalitions to advance the rights of women and girls and uphold and deliver on international agreements, including in relation to technology-facilitated abuse, the potential for technology to drive gender equality, and Safety by Design.
Ensure that capacity building initiatives to increase women’s skills in online safety and digital literacy occur both in Australia and in our region.
Ensure government support and funding for Safety by Design and encourage industry players to implement and champion its principles, to promote a safer online environment for women and girls.
Fund the eSafety Women program on an ongoing basis.
Expand the eSafety Women program to deliver education and training to the judiciary, legal profession, and law enforcement.
Establish a new program to provide training for frontline workers and others about how children are involved in technology-facilitated abuse cases involving their parents.
Fund eSafety to evaluate and advise on technical solutions to protect victim-survivors experiencing technology-facilitated abuse.
Provide dedicated funding for Safety by Design to assist in increasing its adoption and impact.
Develop an education and awareness campaign on dating applications.
4.281
The Committee makes the additional following recommendations relating to technology-facilitated abuse:
There should be greater acknowledgement that appropriate technology use is a shared community responsibility. It is not simply a responsibility of platforms to host and police content.
There should be greater clarity around a platform’s obligation to remove content, including through the Online Safety Act.
In order to open or maintain an existing social media account, customers should be required by law to identify themselves to a platform using 100 points of identification, in the same way as a person must provide identification for a mobile phone account, or to buy a mobile SIM card.
Social media platforms must provide those identifying details when requested by the eSafety Commissioner, law enforcement or as directed by a court.
The Government should consider regulating to enable law enforcement agencies to access a platform’s end-to-end encrypted data, by warrant, in matters involving a threat to the physical or mental wellbeing of an individual or in cases of national security.
There should be a substantial increase in criminal and civil penalties for technology-facilitated abuse to act as a greater deterrent for errant behaviour.
All government hosted websites and applications should have readily available (and searchable) avenues where a victim-survivor of technology-facilitated abuse can seek assistance to have abusive material removed expeditiously.
4.286
The Committee recommends that the next National Plan provide funding for programs, including in schools, to improve the financial literacy and reduce the financial abuse of women.
4.287
The Committee recommends that the Australian Government work with the states and territories (other than Victoria) to provide funding for an increased number of financial counsellors.
4.288
The Committee recommends that the Attorney-General take the following measures to enable the identification of financial information and facilitate superannuation splitting:
develop an administrative mechanism to enable swift identification of financial information, including superannuation, by parties to family law proceedings or victim-survivors of family, domestic or sexual violence; and
amend the Family Law Act 1975 and relevant regulations to reduce the procedural and substantive complexity associated with superannuation splitting orders, including by simplifying forms required to be submitted to superannuation funds.
4.292
The Committee recommends that the Australian Government, and state and territory governments, provide support for research and community awareness raising on the harmful practice of female genital mutilation/cutting, including by providing ongoing funding for the National Education Toolkit for Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting Awareness.
5.150
The Committee recommends that the Australian Government fund research into the prevalence and impact of family, domestic and sexual violence on children and young people, including:
during the first one thousand days after birth; and
from infancy to adolescence.
5.153
The Committee recommends that, in accordance with National Priority Two of the Fourth Action Plan, any family, domestic and sexual violence policies, programs and legislative frameworks which affect Indigenous Australians must be co-designed by Indigenous peoples along with government. Similarly, the evaluation of such policies, programs and legislative frameworks must be appropriately funded and be designed with and led by Indigenous Australians working with government.
5.154
The Committee recommends that the Australian Government and state and territory governments work to ensure the provision of appropriate funding for culturally specific Indigenous awareness programs for all stakeholders in government, including police, service providers and the judiciary; to enable an improved understanding of the particular challenges faced by Indigenous Australians affected by family, domestic and sexual violence. This should include the options available to them for referral to Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations, whether they be victim-survivors or perpetrators.
5.157
The Committee recommends that the Australian Government and state and territory governments provide additional training to police, General Practitioners, child health nurses, Remote Area Clinic nurses and any other service providers that have contact with people in rural and remote areas to assist in the early identification of family, domestic and sexual violence. Service personnel working in Indigenous communities should receive appropriate Indigenous culturally aware training.
5.158
The Committee recommends that the Australian Government and state and territory governments explore opportunities to use technology to provide more services for victim-survivors and perpetrators in regional, rural and remote areas.
5.162
The Committee recommends that, to improve data relevant to LGBTQI communities, the Australian Government:
develop guidelines for data collection about sexuality and gender as it relates to experiences of violence, as part of government-funded research and service provision;
include a question about LGBTQI identification in future Commonwealth censuses; and
fund a national research project to examine the impact of family, domestic and sexual violence affecting the LGBTQI community, and review best practice models to inform appropriate responses.
5.163
The Committee recommends that the Australian Government, in cooperation with the states and territories, develop and implement nationally consistent, regular and targeted education and training within mainstream services, including police and paramedics, in relation to the nature, features and dynamics of intimate partner violence and its particular impact on those from LGBTQI communities.
5.164
The Committee recommends that the Australian Government provide funding for Our Watch to update its Change the Story framework to be inclusive, and to develop an LGBTQI specific prevention guide, highlighting how gendered violence impacts LGBTQI communities in different ways compared to the broader community.
5.165
The Committee recommends that policies and programs relating to family, domestic and sexual violence as it affects LGBTQI communities be developed in partnership between government agencies and LGBTQI organisations.
5.168
The Committee recommends that the Australian Government ensure that the next National Plan specifies people living with disability as a priority cohort, to ensure that legislation, policies and programs (across all jurisdictions) include consultation to support specific consideration of the impacts on, and needs of, these members of the community.
5.169
The Committee recommends that the Australian Government, together with the states and territories, develop a national strategy, in consultation with people living with disability and their representative organisations, to improve access to comprehensive, equitable, accessible, and disability-inclusive sexual and reproductive health education and information.
5.170
The Committee recommends that National Disability Insurance Agency staff (including planners and those with decision making delegation) and disability service workers funded by the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) complete mandatory training in identifying and responding to family, domestic and sexual violence affecting people with disability.
5.171
The Committee recommends that, to support the implementation of the above recommendations, the Australian Government, in cooperation with the states and territories, implement national uniform legislation establishing mandatory reporting by registered disability service providers to police and the proposed National Commissioner for the prevention of family, domestic and sexual violence of all incidents of violence perpetrated against people living with disability, whether in residential care facilities or people’s own homes.
5.175
The Committee recommends that the next National Plan be more inclusive of people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities, their experiences and their needs.
5.176
The Committee recommends that the Australian Government focus on providing more, and more effective, culturally appropriate education on family, domestic and sexual violence to culturally and linguistically diverse communities.
5.177
The Committee recommends that the Australian Government, and state and territory governments, provide a specifically funded resource to assist larger multicultural organisations to enhance family, domestic and sexual violence service delivery for culturally and linguistically diverse communities.
5.178
The Committee recommends that the Australian Government and, where applicable, state and territory governments, make the following changes to immigration legislation and procedures:
amend the Migration Act 1958 to prevent ‘consequential visa cancellation’ where a victim-survivor of family violence has their visa cancelled due to domestic violence perpetrated against them by the primary visa holder;
where a visa applicant is in crisis or temporary accommodation, create an exception to the requirement that a residential address is required to lodge a valid protection visa application;
address official correspondence related to visa applications to each individual applicant, so that if one of them leaves the family home, the correspondence can then be re-directed to a new address;
provide access to legal services, specialist police services and income support for a broader range of temporary visa holders who are victim-survivors of family violence, and consider revisions to migration regulations to offer legal protection to victim-survivors on temporary visas;
broaden the definition of family violence in the Migration Regulations 1994 to be consistent with the Family Violence Protection Act 2008 (Vic) and to ensure that people seeking to escape violence are entitled to crisis payments, regardless of their visa status;
exempt women on temporary visas and women seeking asylum who have experienced domestic and family violence from meeting residency requirements for the purposes of access to Centrelink and Medicare while their visa is being processed; and
review and amend the eligibility requirements for victim-survivors of violence to access financial and other crisis supports, particularly for those on temporary visas.
5.181
The Committee recommends that the next National Plan provide funding to investigate the prevalence and prevention of elder abuse, both in residential care facilities and in people’s own homes, whether by facility staff, carers or family members.
5.182
The Committee recommends that the Department of Health release all de-identified data and information pertaining to incidents and allegations of sexual assault in residential aged care, including incidents where the perpetrator was alleged to have had a cognitive or mental impairment.
5.184
The Committee recommends that the Australian Government commission research into the prevalence of family, domestic and sexual violence against men and its impact on male victim-survivors. The research should include a focus on any connections between male victim-survivors and their exposure to family, domestic and sexual violence as children.
The Committee further recommends that the Department of Social Services review the adequacy of advice and referral services for men as victim-survivors of family, domestic and sexual violence.
6.109
The Committee recommends that the next National Plan continue with the core philosophy of primary prevention being key to reducing family, domestic and sexual violence.
6.110
The Committee recommends that the Australian Government, with state and territory governments, provide increased funding for developmentally appropriate primary prevention campaigns, including protective behaviour education, to inform respectful attitudes around sexual consent, with an emphasis on community education, particularly young people in schools. This should include funding for Our Watch for the entire life of the next National Plan, so as to provide the organisation with greater certainty and program continuity.
6.111
The Committee recommends that the Australian Government support national research and awareness raising campaigns into sexist advertising and the negative effects of unequal gender representation.
6.112
Recognising that the principal drivers of family, domestic and sexual violence are gender inequality and stereotypical attitudes towards gender roles, characteristics and behaviour, together with disrespect of girls and women, the Committee recommends that the Australian Government consider establishing a gender equality strategy.
6.114
The Committee recommends that the Australian Government work with the states and territories to ensure that age-appropriate respectful relationships are taught in all Australian schools and early education settings.
6.120
The Committee recommends that the next National Plan adopt a public health approach to preventing and managing drug and alcohol related harms experienced by families and children, involving all jurisdictions, including local governments.
7.220
The Committee recommends that the next National Plan include measures to support the social services sector (including the health, mental health, disability, family and relationships, and alcohol and other drugs sectors) to have a greater role in identifying and responding to family, domestic and sexual violence.
These measures should include but not be limited to:
training for all staff in identifying family, domestic and sexual violence and working with perpetrators;
measures to support increased information sharing about perpetrators; and
measures to support a more consistent national approach to risk assessment and risk management.
7.221
The Committee recommends that the next National Plan include measures to leverage the existing network of Primary Health Networks to improve the identification and response to family, domestic and sexual violence in general practices. These should include consideration of a national rollout of the Recognise, Respond, Refer program, subject to a positive evaluation of the current trial.
7.224
The Committee recommends that the Australian Government provide additional funding to No to Violence to support the national operation of the Men’s Referral Service for a further three years.
7.225
The Committee recommends that the Department of Social Services review the adequacy of referral services for perpetrators of family, domestic and sexual violence. The review should give consideration to the need for greater consistency across jurisdictions and the establishment of a single nationally coordinated intake point for perpetrators seeking behavioural change.
7.233
The Committee recommends that the Australian Government and state and territory governments provide additional dedicated funding for perpetrator behaviour change programs.
This should include funding to trial new perpetrator intervention models, and specialised perpetrator behaviour change programs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, people with mental illness, people with disability, adolescents, people of diverse sexuality and gender, and women.
Funded programs should be integrated with specialist family and domestic violence and other services, and should include an evaluation component consistent with the proposed national outcomes framework, which will contribute to building the evidence base on perpetrator interventions.
This funding should not be delivered through reductions in funding to services for victim-survivors.
7.234
To support an increase in the number or perpetrators attending and completing behaviour change programs, the Committee recommends that:
the Australian Government and state and territory governments establish a centralised online register of perpetrator intervention programs; and
state and territory governments provide funding for perpetrator court support workers to enable offenders to be referred to appropriate behaviour change programs and other support services.
7.235
The Committee recommends that the next National Plan include measures to support increased use of technology in delivering perpetrator behaviour change programs, where it is safe to do so. These measures should aim to support programs including but not limited to:
programs for specific cohorts in sparsely populated regional, rural and remote areas who would not otherwise have access to specialised programs; and
alternatives to group-based programs for perpetrators for whom such programs are not appropriate.
7.236
The Committee recommends that the Australian Government and state and territory governments provide dedicated funding to perpetrator behaviour change program providers and specialist family and domestic violence services to deliver support services for partners, ex-partners, children, and other family members of perpetrators enrolled in perpetrator behaviour change programs.
7.240
The Committee recommends that the Department of Social Services lead the development of a national outcomes framework for evidence-based perpetrator behaviour change programs.
7.241
The Committee recommends that the Australian Government, working with states and territories where appropriate, provide funding for research on the backgrounds, characteristics, and recidivism rates of perpetrators of family violence with a view to informing future policy and practice in relation to perpetrator interventions. This should include research on adolescents, women, and children who perpetrate violence against their parents, as well as men.
The Committee further recommends that the Australian Government consider the development of an annual national, population level survey on the perpetration of family violence.
7.244
The Committee recommends that state and territory governments work with local community-based organisations to design and implement place-based models of justice reinvestment, similar to that used in the Maranguka Justice Reinvestment Project, as a matter of priority across Australia.
8.166
The Committee recommends that the Australian Government and state and territory governments commit to increasing the overall baseline funding for specialist family and domestic violence service providers.
8.173
The Committee recognises the importance of the provision and availability of supportive housing models to assist victim-survivors of family, domestic and sexual violence to find safety for themselves and their children. The Committee recommends that the Australian Government and state and territory governments collaborate to identify programs that could be implemented across the country, and ensure that specialist and ‘wrap-around’ support services have access to dedicated, long-term funding.
8.174
The Committee recommends that the Australian Government and state and territory governments collaborate in the provision of affordable housing solutions in Australia to meet long-term needs for those made homeless by family, domestic and sexual violence, and to address the backlog of victim-survivors who cannot access affordable housing.
8.175
The Committee recommends that the Australian Government and state and territory governments:
consider implementing policies to remove perpetrators rather than victim-survivors in cases of family, domestic and sexual violence, where this can be achieved without threat to the safety of victim-survivors; and
consider funding for emergency accommodation for perpetrators to prevent victim-survivors being forced to flee their homes or continue residing in a violent home.
8.180
The Committee recommends that the Australian Government, in conjunction with state and territory governments, resource additional research regarding the intersection between mental health and family, domestic and sexual violence. There should be a particular focus on the lived experiences of victim-survivors and the children of victim-survivors who have experienced both family violence and mental health issues.
8.181
The Committee recommends that the Australian Government, in partnership with the New South Wales Government, fund a trial program of the Illawarra Women’s Health Centre’s Women’s Trauma Recovery Centre. This funding could be part of a pilot program over a five-year period with a view, subject to positive evaluation, to rolling out similar services around the country.
8.184
The Committee recommends that the Australian Government and state and territory governments provide additional funding on a 50-50 basis to community legal centres for a minimum of five years to assist victim-survivors of family, domestic and sexual violence. Such funding should be tied to appropriate reporting mechanisms and performance indicators, including but not limited to the full disclosure of funding provided to community legal centres by the states and territories.
8.186
The Committee recommends that the Australian Government and state and territory governments provide funding on a 50-50 basis to legal aid commissions and community legal centres to engage more social workers experienced in family violence, child protection and family law matters.
8.189
The Committee recommends that, subject to positive evaluation of the Legal Aid Commission Small Claims Property Trials, the Australian Government along with states and territory governments fund on a 50-50 basis the establishment of a small property mediation program.
8.195
The Committee recommends that the Australian Government, in collaboration with state and territory governments, implement a national electronic database of domestic violence orders to support the National Domestic Violence Order Scheme. The database should include provisional, interim, and final domestic violence orders and should record breaches of orders.
In addition, the Australian Government should:
work with state and territory governments to develop standardised training material to be delivered to relevant staff alongside the introduction of the database; and
consider whether the database should be accessible by specialist family and domestic violence service providers in addition to courts and police.
8.197
The Committee recommends that the Australian Government, in consultation with state and territory governments, expand the National Domestic Violence Order Scheme to include orders issued under the Family Law Act 1975 and orders issued under state and territory child protection legislation.
8.201
The Committee recommends that the Department of Social Services commission research on the potential benefits and risks to victim-survivor safety of the establishment of a publicly accessible register of convicted family, domestic and sexual violence offenders.
8.204
The Committee recommends that the Australian Government work with the states and territories to adopt a variant of the United Kingdom’s ‘Silent Solution’ for silent calls for police assistance.
8.205
The Committee recommends that the states and territories increase criminal penalties for breaches of apprehended or domestic violence orders, and ensure that the judiciary receives further training about the importance of security to victim-survivors of family, domestic and sexual violence and their families.
8.209
The Committee recommends that the Australian Government and state and territory governments jointly develop a mechanism to provide resources to victim-survivors to assist them to leave their home and resettle to escape a violent relationship. This should include examining ways in which the Commonwealth may recover the costs from the perpetrator.
8.212
The Committee recommends that the Australian Government, in conjunction with state and territory governments, ensure that the next National Plan recognises that family, domestic and sexual violence impacts upon workplaces.
8.213
The Committee recommends that the next National Plan include greater emphasis and specific detail on the crucial role of work and economic equality in the advancement of gender equality and the prevention of family, domestic and sexual violence.