Royal commission makes 227 recommendations to tackle scourge of domestic violence

ALL family violence matters to be heard in specialist courts, mandatory respectful relationship classes from prep and a trial of body-worn cameras by police lead a wide-reaching blueprint to tackle domestic abuse.

Domestic Violence Royal Commission. The findings of the Royal Commission into Family Violence being released at State Parliament. Domestic violence campaigner Rosie Batty who's son, Luke Batty, was killed by his father in 2014, sparking awareness of family violence and ultimately leading to the Royal Commission. Picture: Eugene Hyland

ALL family violence matters to be heard in specialist courts, mandatory respectful relationship classes from prep and a trial of body-worn cameras by police headline a wide-reaching blueprint for reform to tackle the scourge of domestic abuse.

The Royal Commission into Family Violence report, delivered to the State Government yesterday and tabled in Parliament this morning, says the system is in crisis and makes 227 recommendations.

Premier Daniel Andrews promised to implement all of them, some immediately and others over the next ten years.

“There can be no more excuses. Our work begins today to overhaul our broken family violence system from the bottom up,” Mr Andrews said this morning.

“I refuse to look back in ten years’ time and admit that we could have done more to save innocent lives. We will get this right.”

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Rosie Batty and Premier Daniel Andrews discuss the report with other survivors of family violence. Picture: Eugene Hyland

“We will punish the perpetrators, listen to the survivors and change the culture that allows family violence to happen in the first place.”

He said the government did not yet know the cost but estimated it would be hundreds of millions of dollars.

Commissioner Marcia Neave said preventing and responding to family violence was difficult and demanding.

“The attitudes and behaviours that cause and contribute to such violence are deeply embedded in our society,” she said.

“There is no simple solution; no single source of expertise; no guarantee that solutions advanced today will continue to be the most appropriate solutions for the future.

“At the core of the Commission’s recommendations, there, is a call for a long-term approach - one that is bipartisan, requires all parts of the government to work together, and involves the entire community.”

Among the key recommendations are:

AN immediate funding boost to services that support victims and families;

A BLITZ to rehouse women and children forced to leave their homes, supported by expanded individual funding packages;

BOOSTED investigative capacity for police and mobile technology for front-line police, including a trial of body-worn cameras;

DEDICATED safety hubs in the community to centralise support and help information-sharing;

SPECIALIST family violence courts with remote witness facilities, child-friendly areas and specialist legal and counselling services. All family violence matters to be heard in dedicated courts within five years;

ROUTINE screening for family violence in public antenatal sites;

PHASING out communal refuges in favour of private and safe accommodation;

BANKS to develop family violence guidelines to help people suffering economic hardship. Utilities companies will be told to help family violence victims struggling with their bills;

Fiona McCormack, CEO, Domestic Violence Victoria and Ms Joanna Fletcher, CEO, Women’s Legal Service respond to royal commission findings. Picture: Josie Hayden

STARTING a specialist Victoria Police division to investigate financial abuse;

EXPANDED perpetrator interventions and boosting funding for men’s behavioural changes programs to meet demand;

FAMILY violence training for all key workforces like hospitals and schools;

MAKING family violence a “special circumstance” to help victims get out of traffic fines;

DEVELOPING an independent Family Violence Agency to hold government to account;

MANDATORY respectful relationship education in all government schools from prep to Year 12, which was pushed for by Rosie Batty.

The Commission only spent $13.5 million of its $36 million budget and recommended the leftover $22.5 million be used to help fund an “immediate increase” to respond to “the current crisis in demand” for support services.

But some advocates may be disappointed there weren’t tougher penalties for perpetrators, a specific offence for domestic abuse, a dangerous offenders’ register and mandatory reporting of family violence by professionals like GPs.

Some of the more ambitious recommendations include setting up the specialist courts within five years, and getting rid of refuges by 2020 in favour of different models of housing.

The Commission found “all parts of the system” to deal with family violence were overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the problem.

Its report declared that it was too hard for victims to gain access to support and efforts to hold perpetrators to account had been “grossly inadequate”.

The Commission said women who left their homes were not guaranteed safe and secure accommodation to escape from family violence.

“Too little effort is devoted to preventing the occurrence of family violence in the first place,” the report said.

“There is not enough focus on helping victims recover from the effects of violence and rebuild their lives.”

“There is inadequate investment in measures designed to prevent and respond to family violence.”

Police Association secretary Ron Iddles called for an immediate injection of at least 500 police officers.

He urged the Andrews Government to make an interim announcement on extra resources for Victoria Police.

“We’re already behind the eight-ball,” he said.

“Our members have told us that sometimes 80 per cent of their work is family violence.

“We have other core business that we need to do and there needs to be police brought into the picture immediately.

“It takes six to eight month to train a police officer, if we don’t start the training tomorrow then I can’t see the government meeting some of the timelines.”

Already, 238 members have been taken from the front line to respond to family violence over the past three years, with 32 specific family violence units across the state.