Extract from The Guardian
Former governor general says the response to a woman’s first call for
help is ‘absolutely critical’ and will be the focus of her work in
Queensland
The Queensland premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, has appointed Dame
Quentin Bryce as the chair of a special government council to fast-track
domestic violence reform.
Photograph: Alexandra Patrikios/AAP
The response of authorities to the first call for help by a woman threatened with violence is “absolutely critical” Dame Quentin Bryce has said, and will be the focus of her work helping Australia end its domestic violence “emergency”.
The Queensland government has recruited the former governor general to fast-track reforms aimed at combating violence against women and children in the state.
Bryce headed the taskforce that produced the Not Now, Not Ever report into domestic violence in February this year.
The Queensland government has agreed to implement all 140 of that report’s recommendations, and Bryce will now chair the premier’s implementation council.
Speaking on Sunday, Bryce said the past week in Queensland, in which two women were allegedly murdered by their former partners and a six-year-old girl was killed in her Brisbane home, had been “gravely disturbing”.
“The horror of family violence has been driven home in the most serious way, but the events of the last week, it’s become an urgent matter – an emergency.”
Bryce said she would be focused on addressing the response of authorities in the “absolutely critical” window of time when a woman makes an initial call for help.
From that moment, it was a matter of integrating the responses of the police, community and courts to best help victims, she said.
Bryce’s focus on the initial response of authorities to domestic violence complaints highlights the case of 24-year-old Gold Coast mother Tara Brown.
Brown was beaten to death with a piece of steel on Wednesday, allegedly by her former partner Lionel Patea, after he rammed her car off the road, and then attacked her while she was trapped in the crashed vehicle.
Brown reportedly visited the Southport police station a week before her murder seeking advice on how she could end the relationship with Patea. She was reportedly turned away and asked to go elsewhere.
Patea has been charged with her murder.
The police’s actions in the lead-up to her death are also being investigated.
Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the past week in the state had “shocked and galvanised the community” into acting on domestic violence.
Palaszczuk announced a range of measures Sunday, including priority attention for anyone who attended the front counter of a police station with a domestic violence complaint, and mandating that the most senior officer in charge sign off on the action decided.
Three hundred body cameras for police, would be immediately rolled out on the Gold Coast, to assist with evidence gathering.
On Monday, cabinet will consider plans to create a death review panel, to identify gaps in the support available for victims.
But she said domestic violence could not be combated by government action alone.
Domestic and family violence can only be eradicated if we respond as a community.
“Together we must insist on respectful relationships, together we must refuse to turn a blind eye to violence, and together we must say enough is enough. Only then can we truly put an end to these despicable and cowardly crimes.”
Speaking on ABC TV, chair of the Our Watch anti-violence initiative Natasha Stott Despoja said the statistics around domestic violence in Australia were “chilling”.
“One in three women is affected by this violence. 62 women have been murdered this year allegedly as a consequence of intimate partner violence. This is a national emergency. We should all be up in arms. I’m very affected by last week’s events. I just hope most Australians are too.”
The prime minister is preparing to announce further efforts to stem a wave of domestic violence across the country.
“Violence against women and children is never, ever acceptable,” Tony Abbott told reporters in Perth on Sunday. “Any man who raises his hand to a woman is weak and gutless. If you hit a woman, you’re not a man.”
People need to talk to their sons, brothers, fathers and mates to get the message out, he said.
• Women in danger should call triple zero immediately, while those suffering abuse can call DV Connect’s domestic violence hotline on 1800 811 811
Australian Associated Press contributed to this report
The Queensland government has recruited the former governor general to fast-track reforms aimed at combating violence against women and children in the state.
Bryce headed the taskforce that produced the Not Now, Not Ever report into domestic violence in February this year.
The Queensland government has agreed to implement all 140 of that report’s recommendations, and Bryce will now chair the premier’s implementation council.
Speaking on Sunday, Bryce said the past week in Queensland, in which two women were allegedly murdered by their former partners and a six-year-old girl was killed in her Brisbane home, had been “gravely disturbing”.
“The horror of family violence has been driven home in the most serious way, but the events of the last week, it’s become an urgent matter – an emergency.”
Bryce said she would be focused on addressing the response of authorities in the “absolutely critical” window of time when a woman makes an initial call for help.
From that moment, it was a matter of integrating the responses of the police, community and courts to best help victims, she said.
Bryce’s focus on the initial response of authorities to domestic violence complaints highlights the case of 24-year-old Gold Coast mother Tara Brown.
Brown was beaten to death with a piece of steel on Wednesday, allegedly by her former partner Lionel Patea, after he rammed her car off the road, and then attacked her while she was trapped in the crashed vehicle.
Brown reportedly visited the Southport police station a week before her murder seeking advice on how she could end the relationship with Patea. She was reportedly turned away and asked to go elsewhere.
Patea has been charged with her murder.
The police’s actions in the lead-up to her death are also being investigated.
Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the past week in the state had “shocked and galvanised the community” into acting on domestic violence.
Palaszczuk announced a range of measures Sunday, including priority attention for anyone who attended the front counter of a police station with a domestic violence complaint, and mandating that the most senior officer in charge sign off on the action decided.
Three hundred body cameras for police, would be immediately rolled out on the Gold Coast, to assist with evidence gathering.
On Monday, cabinet will consider plans to create a death review panel, to identify gaps in the support available for victims.
But she said domestic violence could not be combated by government action alone.
Domestic and family violence can only be eradicated if we respond as a community.
“Together we must insist on respectful relationships, together we must refuse to turn a blind eye to violence, and together we must say enough is enough. Only then can we truly put an end to these despicable and cowardly crimes.”
Speaking on ABC TV, chair of the Our Watch anti-violence initiative Natasha Stott Despoja said the statistics around domestic violence in Australia were “chilling”.
“One in three women is affected by this violence. 62 women have been murdered this year allegedly as a consequence of intimate partner violence. This is a national emergency. We should all be up in arms. I’m very affected by last week’s events. I just hope most Australians are too.”
The prime minister is preparing to announce further efforts to stem a wave of domestic violence across the country.
“Violence against women and children is never, ever acceptable,” Tony Abbott told reporters in Perth on Sunday. “Any man who raises his hand to a woman is weak and gutless. If you hit a woman, you’re not a man.”
People need to talk to their sons, brothers, fathers and mates to get the message out, he said.
• Women in danger should call triple zero immediately, while those suffering abuse can call DV Connect’s domestic violence hotline on 1800 811 811
Australian Associated Press contributed to this report
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