States to probe alcohol laws for links to domestic violence

Alcohol laws and their impact on Australian women will be put under the microscope for the first time, as each state and territory investigates whether they should shorten trading hours or limit online delivery options to help combat domestic violence.

States and territories will also share more information between their courts, child protection, police and firearms agencies, work to spot potential offenders earlier, and trial new threat-assessment centres, to target men at the highest risk of killing women.

All states and territories will review their alcohol laws as part of national cabinet’s response to the domestic violence crisis.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the actions would be part of a $4.7 billion package to tackle gendered violence after a national cabinet meeting that escalated Australia’s response to a spate of killings this year that has shocked the country.

“We know that a nationally co-ordinated approach is required to address this national crisis,” Albanese said after the meeting in Canberra on Friday. “We must act to ensure women are safe. These horrific and disturbing deaths and vile violence must be prevented.

“We are focused on action in four areas: supporting the critical work of frontline services; turning our eyes on perpetrators to stop violence from escalating; providing more support for children and young people who’ve experienced violence; and tackling the impacts of alcohol on violence.”

National cabinet’s focus on alcohol represents a significant shift in efforts to tackle gendered violence by looking at exacerbating factors, as well as prevention and cultural influences. Tighter alcohol and gambling restrictions were recommended by a rapid review last month because they were accessible ways for governments to reduce the severity and frequency of gendered violence.

National cabinet made no commitments to act on gambling, nor the review’s call for a total ban on betting ads, but a statement issued after the meeting said each state would review their alcohol laws and the impact they had on family violence victim-survivors, before identifying best practice and reporting back to national cabinet.

NSW Premier Chris Minns said every state was at a different stage with its regulations.

“Some have responsible service of alcohol provisions in place and laws in place,” he said. “Some have restrictions on opening hours and trading hours, days of the week. So, we’re all at different places.

“But I think that review will see what works in other jurisdictions. And like a good federation, we’ll steal what works and apply it to our own area.”

Kym Valentine, a spokesperson for the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education, said the initiative was a significant development.

“For far too long, it has been politically controversial to take action on alcohol – despite the fact that the link between alcohol and violence has always been categorically undeniable,” she said.

The non-profit argues alcohol sales should be restricted to between 10am and 10pm and a two-hour safety pause mandated between an online alcohol order being placed and delivered.

The premiers also committed to getting better at identifying perpetrators, sharing information about them across state boundaries, and intervening early.

One way of doing this will be through trialling domestic violence threat assessment centres, which take an intelligence-led policing approach to monitor potential offenders and intervene in cases where they are intensely fixated with an individual or motivated by grievance – both high-risk scenarios.

The Albanese government will also spend $80 million in trauma support for children and young people, and establish national standards for men’s behaviour change, as it steps up its pledge to end violence against women in one generation.

A new five-year agreement between state and federal governments will involve $3.9 billion in Commonwealth money – an $800 million boost from the previous one – to support frontline legal services by improving worker pay and prioritising specialist women’s services.

Another $700 million of shared investment in a separate agreement will be directed at family, domestic and sexual violence responses. Both begin in July next year.

Tessa Boyd-Caine, who leads Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety, said the momentum was critical. She said the funding commitment for frontline services was incredibly important, but there was growing understanding that responses must also extend to working with perpetrators.

But deputy Liberal leader Sussan Ley said the timelines were too slow.

“If the prime minister thought it was important to have a rapid review, he should also have a rapid response,” she said.

Greens spokesperson on women Larissa Waters said it was important that the money committed on Friday ended up with frontline services.

“Previous federal funding under the [national plan] has disappeared into state government administration with no transparency on where it ends up,” she said.

“It’s disappointing that national cabinet kicked the can down the road on alcohol sales and that there is still prevarication from Labor on regulating gambling ads. But we welcome funding to establish national standards for men’s behaviour change, something we’ve long called for.”

Support is available from the National Sexual Assault, Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732) or the Men’s Referral Service on 1300 766 491.

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