Some states have held royal commissions into domestic violence, but the Commonwealth is resisting growing pressue to do so. Photo: Simona Pilolla.
CONTENT WARNING: This article refers to family and domestic violence.
A spate of horrific domestic violence incidents over the past weekend has renewed calls for a national royal commission into the crisis, but the Federal Government is so far not convinced that’s the way to go.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers was asked on Tuesday (22 September) if Labor would follow some state governments and establish a royal commission at the national level.
Victoria and South Australia have both held royal commissions into domestic violence.
Dr Chalmers said increased resources to combat domestic violence and protect women and children has been a priority for the government.
“We’re trying to deal with the sources of all of this violence, whether it be more security in the housing system, whether it be the monetised misogyny that we see online,” Dr Chalmers said.
“There are a whole range of factors feeding in here. We do acknowledge that all of this violence is obviously entirely unacceptable. It’s horrific in every way.
“That’s why we’ve increased the resources, and that’s why we all need to do better to do everything we can to make a difference here.”
On the same day, Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek said that some domestic violence perpetrators should be kept in jail, adding that what was alarming about the weekend’s incidents was that police had not previously identified the alleged perpetrators.
“It does show that we need to use all of our big systems, like health, mental health, our school system, TAFE, university, early childhood settings, all of these big points of contact as potential systems where we can identify that there is a risk that there’s family, domestic or sexual violence happening and be able to intervene earlier,” Ms Plibersek said.
“We’ve increased funding by more than $4.4 billion since coming to government, and we know that increased investment is part of the solution. We also know that we need to make bigger changes.
“It’s not just about funding. There’s also, I think, a much broader role for our community … There is a role for government. We are absolutely up for that role … And some people should just be locked up for the safety of the rest of the community. Some people should just stay in jail.”
Founder of Australian Femicide Watch, Sherele Moody, has more than 160,000 signatures on her petition for a royal commission.
The petition asks a royal commission to examine, among other things, how police, courts and support services responded before women were killed.
Federal independent MP Zali Steggall called for a royal commission earlier this year, but has had no agreement from the government.
Advocates are now pushing even harder for such an inquiry.
Senior National MP Michael McCormack was also asked about his views on a national royal commission.
“I’m not saying I wouldn’t support it, but there are all sorts of calls for all sorts of royal commissions,” he said.
“When there is a royal commission, it does lead to better outcomes, so to that end, yes.
“We had a royal commission into veteran suicides, and it led to 122 recommendations, so better outcomes for Australians.”
It comes as the Minderoo Foundation released a new report that found online dating platforms disproportionately affect women when it comes to abuse.
The report says 99 per cent of women surveyed said they had experienced at least one instance of tech-based abuse on dating platforms in the past three months.
The study says unsolicited explicit messages, attempts to monitor activity, love bombing, negging (insults disguised as playful teasing, jokes, or compliments) and gaslighting are increasingly common experiences for women on dating apps.
“Increasingly, violence against women is taking place in new spaces, including online and digital environments, in the form of tech-based abuse,” the report states.
“These environments require novel forms of governance and accountability mechanisms. One such digital environment is dating platforms.
“There is increasing recognition that harmful behaviours occurring in these digital dating environments can evolve and escalate into other forms of abuse, ranging from harassment and coercion, to threats and offline or in-person violence.”
If this story has raised any concerns for you, 1800RESPECT, the national 24-hour sexual assault, family and domestic violence counselling line, can be contacted on 1800 737 732. Help and support are also available through the Canberra Rape Crisis Centre on 6247 2525, the Domestic Violence Crisis Service ACT on 6280 0900, the Sexual Violence Legal Services on 6257 4377 and Lifeline on 13 11 14. In an emergency, call Triple Zero.
Original Article published by Chris Johnson on Region Canberra.
