By Simone Fox Koob
Former top cop Greg Davies has urged his successor to take a strong stand to combat family violence as he stands down from his role as the state's first Victims of Crime Commissioner.
Davies, a senior police officer for 37 years and former head of the police association, was the state's first official advocate for victims of crime when he took on the newly created position in 2014.
Victims of Crime Comissioner Greg DaviesCredit: Pat Scala
Mr Davies said his term was due to expire next March, and he had decided to quit a few months early ahead of a process of reform for the victims' compensation tribunal.
"As a result of the law reform commission ... [the Victims of Crime Assistance Tribunal] will change from being run by the magistrates court as a judicial process, to what almost everywhere else in the country have, which is an administrative model," he said.
"I think it's best the person who is going to be responsible for running the organisation should be the one to do that from day one, not change horses midstream."
In September, the Victorian Law Reform Commision recommended that the functions of the Victims of Crime Commissioner be expanded to include the functions and powers necessary to administer the new scheme.
Mr Davies, who has held the role for four years, said it had become apparent to him during his tenure that domestic violence was an urgent national crisis.
"If we look, more than half of the people in the victims of crime assistance applications are victims of family violence," he said.
"The reality is, for all the work done so far, there is still one woman killed in Australia each week at the hands of her current or former partner. There is a very, very long way to go and a lot of work needs to be done, and needs to be done quickly rather than put on some extended timeline. People are dying while waiting for resolutions.
"Whoever succeeds me will obviously be giving that considerable thought ... I would encourage him or her to put their views to the government as quickly as they can on where the implementation of the royal commission recommendations are, on any other matters they might consider might to be appropriate.
The government has invested enormous amounts of money in promises they made to implement the recommendations but we don't need generational change, but we need immediate change."
The state government will appoint the next commissioner, and Mr Davies said it didn't necessarily have to be someone from a policing background.
"The recommendations in the Law Reform Commission report say a 'suitably qualified person' ... that's open to interpretation."
The position was created to improve services and systems within government departments, victims' service providers and the justice system to assist victims of crime.
Mr Davies, a former senior sergeant, was a vocal police advocate as the Police Association's secretary for five-and-a-half years before he retired in April 2014. He was appointed by then Attorney-General Robert Clark to the commissioner role.