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

Annabelle CLEELAND (Euroa) (10:19): I also rise today to speak on the Legal and Social Issues Committee report on our inquiry into capturing data on family violence perpetrators in Victoria. As deputy chair of the committee I had the opportunity to contribute and continue to learn about the ongoing challenges that our state is facing when it comes to reducing instances of family violence. I would like to start by saying the deepest thankyou to Jessica Strout, Danielle Broadhurst, Fred Toll and Caitlin Connally. Your intelligence, compassion, memory and patience are incredible. Your catering is also incredible and your cuddles of Sigrid throughout were very valuable. I am so grateful to all of you for everything you have done. Your professionalism is so impressive. We did have robust debate and deliberations throughout, because all of us came to this inquiry with such passion to change the trajectory in Victoria.

In this inquiry we focused on how the Victorian government and relevant agencies can achieve a more holistic understanding of people using family violence, primarily when it comes to the collection and usage of data. It included considering improvements to current data collection, linkage, identifying barriers and sharing and exploring what else was needed to build more knowledge about the perpetration of family violence. Many government departments, agencies and services engage with people experiencing or using family violence, such as the justice system, police and first responders, child protection and family and community services, GPs, hospitals, schools and education providers. A significant amount of data collected on people who use family violence supports risk assessment and management as well as policy development, service planning, research and evaluation activities.

While the scope of this inquiry was limited and did not present a fix-all solution to the problem of family violence, I feel it provided a path for improving how this crisis is addressed and handled at a state government level. The inquiry and the findings in this report aim to build on the 2015 Royal Commission into Family Violence initiative that led to a significant improvement in family violence response. This included greater support for victims, initiatives in prevention and mechanisms to keep people using family violence monitored. But we still have a long way to go.

Even with these improvements the government has not been able to gain the insights needed to achieve a full understanding of people using family violence, and sadly the cohort continues to increase across our state. Family violence incidents reported to Victoria Police increased 400 per cent in the last 20 years, and many unreported incidents continue, with the numbers relating to family violence continuing to increase. This is just the tip of the iceberg. The most recent data from the Crime Statistics Agency has shown family violence has increased 8 per cent in the last year and 25 per cent on average across regional Victoria.

The report looks extensively at data and statistics, but it must be remembered that family violence has a severe impact on the lives of real people, particularly women and children. In the past week we have seen another family violence murder make the news, this time in Werribee. A 42-year-old mother of four was killed by her partner. These are not isolated incidents. Hearing these stories makes it important for us to ensure we are getting it right when it comes to family violence. This inquiry had a limited scope and did not necessarily chase the bold claim to fix the issue of family violence, but the terms of reference for the report were quite specific to capturing data. It is a clear area of need for improvement, and I do hope these recommendations will lead to real, tangible change. But it must be accompanied by a willingness to do more to make a real-life difference and address the broader issues of family violence in our state. This report is a step, but it is just one step. It must be matched by government policy that is in the best interests of our most vulnerable people. We are still seeing issues with crucial services being closed, including the Orange Door in Benalla just at Christmas and other services within our regional communities.

This report involved extensive discussion and effort to ensure accountability with the aim of driving changes. Some of the major recommendations that I am really proud of include ensuring that sufficient resources are allocated to service providers and stakeholders, ensuring that the government works closely with the same service providers, reviewing existing frameworks for data collection, prioritising training and upskilling of staff and improving the government’s reporting capabilities to improve accountability.

I just want to close by thanking everyone who made a submission. Their experience and lived experience were essential to the success of the inquiry and the strength of the recommendations within this report.