State Opposition promises mandatory minimum sentences for repeat family violence offenders

OFFENDERS who repeatedly breach family violence orders will be hit with jail terms, under a Coalition pledge for more mandatory minimum sentences.

OFFENDERS who repeatedly breach family violence orders will be hit with jail terms, under a Coalition pledge for more mandatory minimum sentences.

The state opposition will, if elected next month, target those who repeatedly commit one of three family violence offences.

Re-offenders would be jailed for a minimum of two or maximum of five years for contravening a family violence notice or order intending to cause harm or fear.

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Persistent contravention — classed as at least two breaches within 28 days — would carry a minimum of three years’ prison and maximum of five.

Reoffenders would also be jailed for at least six years for non-fatal strangulation or choking, which the opposition has also promised to make an offence.

Opposition leader Matthew Guy said Victoria’s sentencing system needed to be “no nonsense”.

“We’ve got to get back in control of crime in Victoria, the way to do that is to make sure we have a justice system where jail means jail,” Mr Guy said.

“We’ve got to have a justice system that is strong, that is determined and that focuses on punishment, as well as rehabilitation.”

Matthew Guy announced the mandatory sentences today. Picture: Alison Wynd

Family violence victim Ashlee Carlman’s ex-partner breached his orders more than 4000 times.

Ms Carlman said he was jailed for “a couple of days” but reoffended with 24 hours of his released.

She said he was then jailed for another month but again reoffended within a week.

He was then slapped with a 22-month sentence for “really serious charges”, Ms Carlman said.

“I wasn’t able to work, I suffer memory loss from being hit, anxiety, PTSD and insomnia,” she said.

“It would be amazing if we can have jail time to deter them from doing this.

“When they know they are just going to get a couple of days or a couple of months, it’s like a holiday to them.”

Family violence victims, advocates and support groups rallied at state parliament on Monday, calling for all parties to fully fund and implement the royal commission’s recommendations.

The Andrews Government has implemented 90 of the 227 recommendations, with work on the remaining 137 underway.

The opposition has not committed to implementing all the recommendations.

As @lpapoutsis said so well, "with successful prevention we can reduce women finding themselves at the ugly end of family violence, in crisis. Let’s lessen the burden on the crisis system preventing women from arriving at that horrible point.” #uniteagainstfamilyviolence pic.twitter.com/5NwHwK5UEX

— Gender Equity Victoria (@genderequityvic) October 16, 2018

Prevention of family violence spokeswoman Georgie Crozier said the opposition would consider the recommendations’ “financial impost” and whether “there are efficiencies that can be realised”.

“The royal commission obviously undertook some very important work but they didn’t look at these practical measures … whether that is disclosure laws, the right to ask, the right to know, strangulation laws,” he said.

“We want to really focus on real, practical outcomes.

“We need to understand the full detail of those 227 recommendations, understand if there can be efficiencies and improvements.”

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