Wednesday, 2 April 2025

Legal and Social Issues Committee

Building the Evidence Base: Inquiry into Capturing Data on People Who Use Family Violence in Victoria

Ella GEORGE (Lara) (10:14): It is a pleasure to follow the member for Eildon this morning in also making a contribution on the Legal and Social Issue Committee’s report Building the Evidence Base: Inquiry into Capturing Data on People Who Use Family Violence in Victoria. Family violence is one of the most pressing issues facing Victoria, and it is an issue that we must not shy away from. It is pervasive, and it is perpetrated by people from all walks of life. It impacts many families. In recognising this I am really proud that our committee has delivered this report, and I am very pleased to be speaking on it today. During the inquiry it was made abundantly clear to the committee that collecting family violence data, including about those who are using family violence, is complex. Data on people using family violence is held in multiple places by multiple organisations and is often not comprehensive enough to provide a complete picture. Improving how governments, agencies, relevant sectors and systems capture data on people who use family violence will increase our understanding of why people use family violence. Better information about the drivers, behaviours and patterns of people who use family violence can then be used to improve the effectiveness of intervention and prevention strategies, which I know is an incredibly important thing for everyone in this place.

The committee heard that collecting data on people who use family violence is not straightforward, and caution must be taken to ensure accuracy and protect victim-survivors. One of the key things we heard about was misidentification of the predominant aggressor. This is an issue that continues to distort the data that is collected, harming victim-survivors and keeping people who use family violence out of view of systems. To address this the committee has recommended the establishment of a clear system-wide process to correct misidentification, ensuring that data collection processes do not reinforce harmful stereotypes or enable systems abuse.

Considering the distinct developmental needs of children and young people who use family violence can improve both service response and data collection, which in turn builds our understanding. Our recommendations have a focus on refining data systems to provide a more nuanced understanding of how children and young people experience and engage with family violence and how services can better support them. Another area of our report that I am really proud of is the work we did on elder abuse. It is an often hidden form of family violence and it also demands greater attention. There is a need for improved data collection to identify risk factors, intervention points and long-term impacts of elder abuse, and our recommendations target improvements in those areas.

Family violence often remains hidden, and without a more complete evidence base, our ability to develop targeted prevention efforts is constrained. By incorporating qualitative, longitudinal and multimethod research we can build a clearer picture of perpetration pathways, protective factors, behaviour change over time and the long-term effectiveness of interventions. This will provide critical insights into how to prevent violence, support change and reduce the risk of continued harm. Our recommendations include to support new research on people who use family violence that centres practice-based knowledge and qualitative, longitudinal and multimethod research approaches, with a priority for projects about those who are not engaged with services. This will play a crucial role in preventing and addressing family violence. Minimising, addressing and preventing family violence is a collective responsibility, and this report highlights the need for a holistic and systemic approach that coordinates and links existing datasets, enhances cross-sector collaboration and ensures consistency in data standards.

With the time I have left I would like to thank the stakeholders who participated in our inquiry. The learnings and experiences that they shared about barriers to collecting, linking, sharing and using family violence data greatly enriched this report and its recommendations. I also acknowledge the victim-survivors of family violence who bravely shared their experiences. I commend them for their strength and determination to improve the family violence system in Victoria. I am deeply grateful for their contributions, and I thank them.

I wish to thank my fellow committee members: deputy chair the member for Euroa, the member for Eildon, the member for Mornington, the member for Geelong, the member for Bayswater and the member for Clarinda. I thank them for their immense contribution to our inquiry and their curiosity in exploring ways to improve Victoria’s response to family violence. On behalf of the committee I also thank our incredible secretariat team: Jessica Strout, Katherine Murtagh, Danielle Broadhurst, Fred Toll and Caitlin Connally. Thank you to our secretariat for your incredible contributions to this important report.