Women’s safety and justice task force recommendations

Queensland Women’s Safety and Justice task force recommend laws that would help decriminalise sex work and aid consent.

Queensland consent laws and the discrimination of sex work could be strengthened following the recommendations made in the most recent Women’s Safety and Justice Taskforce report.

The second “Hear her voice” report – which highlighted the experiences of women and girls across the criminal justice system – was handed down to the Honourable Margaret McMurdo AC on Friday morning.

The report, which heard the voices of 252 survivors, made 188 recommendations, including educational campaigns aimed to dispel rape myths.

Task force chair Margaret McMurdo said the report “listened to and acted on the voices of victim-survivors of sexual assault,”.

“They told us that rape myths made them feel blamed and shamed and that this added to their trauma.” she said.

The Women's Safety and Justice Taskforce chaired by Margaret McMurdo talked to survivors of domestic violence about their experiences with the system. Picture: Glenn Hampson

“Victim survivors told us they want changes to the law about sexual assault so the focus is on the actions of the accused person, not what the victim said, did, drank or wore.”

Attorney-General Shannon Fentiman said sexual violence remains one of the most “heinous forms of violence in Australian society”, with females representing an estimated 84 per cent of reported sexual assault victims.

“Two in five of these assaults can be linked to domestic and family violence (DFV).”

“This is an incomprehensible reality for victims wanting to come forward to report perpetrators, who are also wary of the systems in place to assist them.”

“More than 300 submissions were received, including over 250 from victim-survivors of sexual assault and 19 from offenders.”

Attorney-General Shannon Fentiman hands down the second report of the Women’s Safety and Justice Taskforce. Picture: NCA NewsWire / John Gass

Ms Fentiman said a key recommendation was the ability to name sexual offenders, bringing Queensland in line with other states and territories around the country.

“Like most charges now, perpetrators can be named but when it comes to sexual assault and rape they can‘t be, the task force says it’s time to change that,” she said.

She said the report looked at modernising the language of consent laws from “consent should be freely and voluntarily given” to “freely and voluntarily agreed to”.

Key recommendations also included changes to the Queensland police service to encourage survivors to report sexual violence, limiting the time women and girls can be held in watch houses and the establishment of an independent victims commission.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk paid a “special tribute” to the 700 people who made submission to the report in what she labelled “a national first”.

“I want to pay special tribute to the 700 people who made submissions to the report it is, I believe, the most comprehensive report of its kind ever to be undertaken in Australia,” she said.

A list of the recommendations can be found here.