Blog Archives

What's an IVO worth? A man has been charged with attempted murder having allegedly ignored a court order to break into his former partner’s home and bash her almost to death

18/8/2018

Read the article here. And if this is not bad enough, this is not an unusual occurrence.

When police misjudge domestic violence, victims are slapped with intervention order applications

16/8/2018

Victoria's Chief Commissioner of Police Graham Ashton acknowledged that historically, officers on the scene were misidentifying victims as perpetrators more often than the force wanted.
"The training that we've been providing through the centre of learning at the academy has been all about lifting the standard across the state in relation to that issue so that everyone gets good quality of training," he said.
"What we were finding was some parts of Victoria where we delivered specialist training were going well, other parts who didn't have access to that same training weren't going as well."
Graham Ashton says responding to family violence calls consumes a staggering 40 per cent of the work of Victoria Police.

Read the full story here

Canberra man arrested after note alleging family violence handed in to school

12/8/2018

A letter given to a Canberra school by a student describing alleged domestic violence by his stepfather led to the arrest of a Coombs man, a court has heard. The ACT Magistrates Court on Saturday heard the note was handed to the school and police were called. Court documents said the letter was written by the student's mother, who had been cut off from the phone and internet by her partner. It described a situation of domestic violence within the family home, with the mother requesting help to deal with it.

Read the full article here.

Push for terror watch list type system for family violence perpetrators

11/8/2018

A new idea is being pitched which would see dangerous family violence perpetrators put on a high risk “watch list” so they can be monitored to reduce the risk to victims in the same way police monitor terrorism suspects to avert potential attacks.

Read the full article here which includes a link to hear former police officer Stephen Wilson's interview with 3AW's Ross & John.

Matthew Newton quits Jessica Chastain's film, Eve, after public backlash

11/8/2018

Matthew Newton has stepped down following backlash over his history of alleged domestic violence as he says 'I can never undo the harm that I've caused'

Newton released a statement on Friday saying he's trying to make 'amends' for his past failings.
Chastain was criticized online for selecting the Australian writer and director for her next project
Newton, 41, has a history of alleged assault and domestic violence claims, dating back to 2006 in his native Australia
Molly's Game star is an outspoken advocate for the Time's Up movement and women's rights
In 2006, Newton was arrested for alleged physical assault of his former partner Brooke Satchwell
In 2010, Newton's then-girlfriend Rachael Taylor filed a protective order against him, alleging physical, verbal and emotional abuse
Newton was also arrested twice in Miami, Florida, in 201

Read the full article here

New guide book warns judges that Mums rarely fabricate violence

9/8/2018

An online bench book released by the Australasian Institute of Judicial Administration aims to help federal and state judicial officers in cases involving family violence dispelling “myths” about family violence — including that victims are able to leave an abusive relationship, that only certain socio-economic groups or cultures experience domestic violence, and that the risk of abuse will stop after a couple separates. It also strongly contradicts some fathers’ groups which claim that mothers fabricate evidence of violence to shut them out of their children’s lives.

read the full article here

Family violence banking help goes national

6/8/2018

A banking program that supports family violence victims suffering from financial abuse will be rolled out Australia-wide. The Commonwealth Bank's domestic and family violence emergency assistance program offers help such as independent specialist trauma counsellors, financial assistance, safe establishment of bank accounts and telephone support to ensure appropriate communication with family and friends.

Read the full article here

Vital tools to fight domestic violence

6/8/2018

It is clear that further reform is required as the scourge of domestic violence continues to affect the lives of countless Australians.
A domestic violence disclosure scheme is being currently trialled in NSW, and a similar pilot is due to start in South Australia in October.
The schemes are based on Clare’s Law, which was introduced in England and Wales 2014 after the murder of British woman Clare Wood, who was unaware of her partner’s violent criminal past. Scotland and New Zealand followed suit the following year.
In the first 12 months of Clare’s Law, there were 3760 applications for disclosure of a partner’s violent past, of which 1335 were granted.
The scheme has been considered successful.
So should all Australians fearful they might be at risk of family violence have the right to confidentially access their partner’s criminal record?

Read the full article here

Queensland mother: ‘I don’t want to be the next Tara Brown'

5/8/2018

After years of wearing long-sleeved tops to cover the bruises 'Julie' left her perpetrator while pregnant with their second child with just the clothes in which she was standing. But the day she left sparked the start of a terrifying seven-year campaign of violence, threats and harassment against her and their children, that has only lulled since her ex-husband went on the run after failing to appear in court on May 19 to answer a charge of breaching a domestic violence order.

Read the full story here.

New Zealand has voted to pass a bill giving domestic violence victims 10 days' additional time off work on top of existing entitlements

1/8/2018

Domestic violence victims in New Zealand will be able to take two weeks' paid leave after the passing of a new law.
The country's politicians on Wednesday night voted to pass a bill giving victims 10 days' additional time off on top of existing holiday and sickness entitlements.

Read the full article here.