The Coalition Government is putting Domestic Violence on the forefront of the national political agenda this year, with Prime Minister Tony Abbott announcing a scheme that will attempt to universalise how Domestic Violence offenders are dealt with throughout the nation.
In a press conference in Melbourne today, Prime Minister Abbott announced that the establishment of a National Domestic Violence Order Scheme will be placed into the “ordinary business” of the Council of Australian Governments agenda, with the aim of establishing a national order by the end of the year.
Along with Senator Michaelia Cash, Abbott revealed that Australian Of The Year Rosie Batty will be providing advice and support as part of a committee to assist the COAG in developing the national framework. Currently, the States control their individual legislation and implementation of Domestic Violence Orders.
Speaking to the press, Abbott cited the statistic that around 40% of all police work in New South Wales pertains to domestic violence, and the stat that around one woman per week is killed by a current or former male partner, labelling the data “unacceptable.”
“If you’re a repeat drink driver, you have the book thrown at you. But not if you breach Domestic Violence Orders.”
“Just because terrible things happen behind closed doors does not make them not terrible things.”
Prime Minister Abbott also acknowledged the current and ongoing Royal Commission in Victoria into Domestic Violence, and made note that it would be looking into the role that mental illness plays within instances of Domestic Violence.
At the time of publication, the date for the first COAG Meeting of 2015 was still yet to be set.
Photo: Stefan Postles via Getty Images.
