Ankle-monitoring bracelets issued to high-risk DV offenders

Hundreds of ankle monitoring bracelets will be issued to high-risk domestic and family violence offenders next year as the state government assesses the efficiency of DV services.

Minister for Domestic and Family Violence Amanda Camm at a media conference in Brisbane on Saturday. Picture: John Gass

Five-hundred ankle monitoring bracelets will be issued to high-risk domestic and family violence offenders in the second half of 2025, with help lines for perpetrators to be assessed under a major review of the DV Connect service.

Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence Minister Amanda Camm has confirmed the government’s election commitment to issue 500 ankle monitors to repeat DFV offenders would be delivered by mid-2025.

“We will be committing that rollout as part of the next budget,” she said.

A $50,000 review into the DV Connect service announced by Ms Camm on Saturday will also assess potential reform or expansion to the services’ men’s counselling hotline, which is currently only available to perpetrators between 9am and midnight.

The review sets out to determine whether the $21.6m funding envelope for Queensland's domestic and family violence service is being used effectively and provide concrete evidence of lacking resources and service gaps before additional money is allocated by the government.

Hundreds of ankle bracelets will be issued to domestic and family violence offenders. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Morgan Sette

“A funding envelope of almost $100m over the next four years through a 24/7 crisis response service is a significant investment by the Queensland taxpayer,” Ms Camm said.

“If they require more resourcing, I want to understand the evidence that’s driving that before we make further commitments into the pointy end.

“Governments prior have continued to throw money at the pointy end, yet we’re seeing no real impact or no real reduction.”

The review will also look at necessary improvements to the state’s DFV crisis response ahead of a planned $31.25m expansion to frontline DFV services in northern Queensland, with Ms Camm revealing phone calls to DV Connect were currently being diverted to south to Brisbane offices.

Ms Camm said she had received a “number” of reports about DV Connect struggling under increasing demand during her time in Opposition.

“Undertaking this analysis is going to allow us to understand where that demand is coming from, where that growth is coming from, and how that service design is meeting that demand, or if it is inadequate, how we can better respond to it,” she said.

“This is critical with the introduction of coercive control legislation in May, I’m acutely aware that services are already under enormous pressure prior to this legislation coming into play, and the potential demand that will also place on services as part of that reform.”

The Minister urged anyone experiencing DFV this Christmas to contact DV Connect, or call triple-0.

“When there’s a lot happening in regards to the cost of living crisis and people are feeling those pressures, if there is perpetration of violence, or if you feel at risk and you’re in imminent danger, you must call triple-0,” Ms Camm said.

An independent authority will be commissioned to conduct the review, with an interim report to be provided to Ms Camm by April and a full report due by June, before the 2025-26 budget is handed down.