The Minister for Women, Senator Marise Payne (pictured) and the Minister for Families and Social Services, Senator Anne Ruston have proposed draft Terms of Reference (TOR) for an inquiry into family, domestic and sexual violence.
The TOR was prepared for Parliament’s Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs which has been invited to conduct the inquiry.
Senator Payne said the challenging start to 2020, with the pandemic and associated restrictions required renewed consideration of how family, domestic and sexual violence in Australia can be reduced.
“We must listen to the experiences of the sector during this unprecedented time and learn how governments, services and the community can better support women and their children, particularly when home is not a safe place to be,” Senator Payne said.
“It is my expectation that the findings of this Committee will inform the work of the Women’s Safety Council that I co- convene with Minister Ruston,” she said.
The Ministers asked the inquiry to report on immediate and long-term measures to prevent violence against women, their children, and improve gender equality; advise on best practice and lessons learnt from international experience; explore how health, housing, and women’s economic independence affects the ability of women to escape domestic violence; as well as all forms of violence against women.
The Ministers also asked the inquiry to report on the adequacy of evidence bases around the prevalence of domestic and family violence as well as the efficacy of perpetrator intervention programs and support services and the impact of COVID-19.
Senator Payne said the Committee was also asked to report on the experiences of all women, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, rural women, culturally and linguistically diverse women, LGBTQI women, women with a disability, and women on temporary visas
Senator Ruston said the level of family, domestic and sexual violence in Australia remained unacceptably high.
The Standing Committee has yet to commence its inquiry.