More than 40 per cent of NSW murders now family violence related

Domestic and family violence has been linked to 41 per cent of all murders in NSW since 2013.

Two teenagers killed by their estranged father in Sydney's north will be added to the toll and filed with more than 30,000 other reports of domestic or family violence made to police each year.

The most common targets are partners, but 3459 children were victims of domestic assault in the most recent 12 months of police data, which also recorded 15 murderers in family homes between April 2017 and March 2018. Three of the 15 people charged with murder in these cases were female, most of the offenders were aged between 20-39 and five victims were aged over 60.

There has been a significant decline in domestic violence in NSW between 2008-09 and 2015-16 but the discrete nature of family violence challenges the justice system and family courts have been accused of trying to preserve the family unit ahead of child safety.

Some family court orders may also be hindering police enforcing apprehended domestic violence orders (ADVO). A recent study found a quarter of intimate partner homicides were committed by men subject to DV orders.

While NSW courts are meant to complete ADVOs within three months, when children are involved, some areas, such as Macarthur, have cases wait for more than six if they are contested.

Women’s Domestic Violence Court Advocacy Services of NSW (WDVCAS) support women and children through the court process and its chair, Tanya Whitehouse, said the main problem is a "matter of resources, on all levels, with the workload, there aren't enough courts, there aren't enough magistrates".

"For it to take years for someone to sort out a family law matter is just not OK," Ms Whitehouse said.

"Delays in court matters can contribute to or escalate the problem but domestic violence is always about control and power.

"There are fantastic domestic violence services out there that are really restricted by their resources and a lack of funding."

Some women are accused of using domestic violence in a vexatious way to gain an advantage in family law matters but this is predominantly not the case, Ms Whitehouse, who has worked on this issue for 25 years, said.

"WDVCAS do experience police being unable to charge a defendant with breaches of an ADVO due to family law orders that are in place," Ms Whitehouse said. "I think overall in the sector we only see the tip of the iceberg for disclosures of domestic violence.

"[It] is not dictated by your socio-economic status, it doesn't discriminate between your age, the colour of your skin, where you live or how much money you earn.

"Domestic violence happens everywhere and everyone is entitled to be safe, particularly women and children."

NSW introduced Australia’s first dedicated police teams focused on targeting high-risk DV offenders and the 2018-19 NSW budget allocated $44.1 million in new funding for initiatives to tackle domestic violence re-offending.

NSW Attorney General Mark Speakman said NSW’s total investment to tackle the issue is now more than $390 million over four years.

Minister for the Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Pru Goward said there is "always more work to do and we will continue to provide more support services and accommodation options for domestic and family violence victims”.

Domestic violence advice and help is available, call: 1800 RESPECT or the DV Hotline – 1800 65 64 63 or Women’s Domestic Violence Court Advocacy Services (statewide): 1800 WDVCAS.