Long-awaited discussion paper offers eight-point proposal to address damage done by family violence
SOUTH Australia will step up the fight against domestic violence with the release on Sunday of a blueprint outlining an eight-point plan to tackle the social scourge.
- Police called to 18,000 domestic violence incidents in a year as Premier Jay Weatherill admits the problem is massive
- Police asked to include domestic violence data in monthly crime reports to ‘shock’ public
THE full extent of domestic violence in South Australia is revealed in a blueprint released today by the State Government, which proposes a series of new measures to tackle the rising problem.
The Sunday Mail can reveal details of the long-awaited discussion paper that offers an eight-point proposal to address the damage done by family violence.
It also paints the most accurate picture yet of how the problem affects tens of thousands of South Australians, using previously unpublished SA Police data.
The paper warns the problem will appear to worsen before it improves as more victims report previously hidden abuse and authorities apply greater focus.
Initiatives the Government is considering include:
A DISCLOSURE scheme that would enable people with concerns to ask authorities for details about a partner’s criminal history.
ALLOWING police to use video evidence of domestic violence victims in court.
IMPOSING a time limit on intervention orders put in place to protect victims.
“FLAGGING” charges and convictions to better track the incidence of domestic violence.
BETTER protecting the confidentiality of victims who speak to counsellors.
METHODS to get more perpetrators to undergo rehabilitation.
OFFERING more emergency housing.
ENSURING employers, landlords and others cannot discriminate against someone because they are experiencing family violence.
Deputy Premier John Rau, whose office developed the paper, said it “shines a spotlight into the dark corners” of a persistent social problem that needs new solutions.
“We’ve got to approach this with our eyes open,” Mr Rau told the Sunday Mail.
“What I hope we could do here is something a bit like what we’ve done with the road toll — through education and information and, where necessary, sanctions, reducing the number of (domestic violence) events ... or, where they do occur, they’re less serious.”
The Government is asking for public feedback on the proposals put forward, including from experts, those who work in the field and those who have experienced violence.
It comes in the wake of the latest high-profile case to put domestic violence in the public eye.
Former Port Adelaide AFL footballer and Glenelg SANFL coach Nick Stevens was last week sentenced to 90 days in prison for bashing and threatening to kill his former partner in 2013.
Stevens was initially sentenced to eight months in jail but that was reduced to three months on appeal — prompting widespread criticism that the penalty sent a dangerous message that violence against women was not taken seriously.
SA Police has provided the State Government with unprecedented amounts of data on the level of domestic violence in our community, much of which has previously been difficult to extract from authorities.
The shocking statistics outlined in today’s discussion paper show:
AT least 27 South Australians have been murdered as a result of family violence over the past six years.
ALMOST half of all murders, manslaughters or attempted murders committed in 2015 resulted from domestic violence.
MORE than 420 applications for interim or final protection orders are being lodged through the courts each month.
94 PER CENT of all domestic violence-related offences are committed by a partner or ex-partner of the victim.
77 PER CENT of all domestic violence victims in 2015 were women or girls.
ABORIGINAL South Australians made up 15.6 per cent of domestic violence victims in 2014-15 but only 2.3 per cent of the general population.
REGIONAL cities such as Coober Pedy, Port Pirie and Port Augusta, and suburbs in Adelaide’s north feature most in the 30 areas where the highest rates of domestic violence reports are made.
THE majority of domestic violence-related assaults and sexual assaults happen in residential settings, not in public.
Status of Women Minister Zoe Bettison said it was “totally unacceptable” that such a large number of women “do not feel safe, even in their own homes”.
Modelling featured in the discussion paper shows family violence costs the nation about $8 billion a year in lost productivity and health costs, including $3.5 billion in pain and suffering.
If nothing is done to stem the problem, it is forecast to cost $15.6 billion in 2021-22
Mr Rau said he expected the discussion paper to “generate a fair bit of interest and response”.
“I’m not ruling anything in or anything out,” he said.
“There are things in there which I personally think won’t work, for various reasons, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have a conversation about it because I might be wrong.
“But just because it’s in the paper, doesn’t mean we are going to do it.”
In a best-case scenario, Mr Rau hoped to introduce new legislation to Parliament at the end of the year but “more realistically” in the first quarter of 2017.
The response could cause resources to be reallocated from initiatives “which are getting very minimal value for money to something that is more effective”, he said.
Public submissions will be accepted until September 4.
It was first revealed in The Advertiser in late November that the Government would begin compiling a discussion paper on approaches to curbing domestic violence.
At the time, Premier Jay Weatherill said he wanted to explore how SA could adopt a disclosure scheme similar to a model in the United Kingdom credited with saving lives.
This has become the centrepiece of the paper released today.
Known as Clare’s Law, it was introduced following the 2009 murder of Briton Clare Wood, who was oblivious to her partner’s history of abuse.
The scheme allows a person to inquire about their partner, or a third party such as a parent or friend to make inquiries on their behalf, if they fear the partner may have been violent or abusive in the past.
The State Government acknowledges there would be privacy concerns about such a scheme but wants feedback on how it could best work in SA.
The discussion paper asks who should be able to apply for information to be released through such a scheme, what agency should be responsible for deciding whether to release information and whether a person should have a chance to appeal the release of information about their past.
The NSW Government is trialling a scheme but it does not disclose offences committed outside that state, offences where no conviction was recorded, spent convictions or juvenile convictions, nor cases when a protection order is in place.
The State Government paper says SA Police warned there were “significant gaps” in the NSW trial.
The paper does not estimate how many South Australians might make use of a disclosure scheme.
To provide feedback visit www.yoursay.sa.gov.au/dvdiscussion
For advice or support, phone:
VICTIM SUPPORT SERVICE ON 8231 5626 OR 1800 182 368
D.V. CRISIS SERVICE ON 1300 782 200
D.V. GATEWAY SERVICE (24 HOURS) 1800 800 098
In an emergency phone police on 000.