❓ The Minister for Police outlines the WA government's initiatives to tackle family and domestic violence, including increased accountability, support programs, accommodation funding, and legislative review. They acknowledge the complexity of the issue and the need for ongoing improvement.
AnsweredQoN 37Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
FAMILY AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
37. Ms A.R. MITCHELL to the Minister for
Police:
Could the minister please outline to
the house what this government has done to tackle domestic violence?
37. Ms A.R. MITCHELL to the Minister for
Police:
Could the minister please outline to
the house what this government has done to tackle domestic violence?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Kingsley for
this question on a very important issue—that is, family and domestic
violence in Western Australia. The state government certainly takes the matter
of domestic and family violence very seriously. I would also like to take this
opportunity to address some of the comments that were made in this house on
Tuesday by the member for Armadale. It is very important that members in this
house understand exactly what this government is doing in the family and
domestic violence space. There is no denying that police are usually the first
responders to incidents of family and domestic violence, but it is incorrect to
say that WA Police has sole responsibility in this area. A lot is already
happening. There is absolutely no denial by this government that we need to
improve the very complex network of government and not-for-profit agency
support networks that support families and victims of domestic violence. This
is already happening, but I acknowledge that there is room for improvement in
this space.
WA Police keeps the statistics and
records the data for domestic violence attendance in Western Australia. The
perception is often drawn that police are therefore accountable for the
increased incidence of domestic violence in this state. It is a trap that those
opposite continually fall into, but it is not an accurate reflection of where
the sole responsibility for domestic violence lies in this state. The reality
is that platitudes are just not helpful in this space. The government has taken
some very active steps to ensure that we have better accountability for family
and domestic violence and that we start to get better results and drive down
the incidence of family and domestic violence in Western Australia.
I have personally directed WA Police
to introduce a new key performance indicator for domestic violence. From next
financial year, police will be required to report within seven days on the
percentage of family and domestic violence–related incidents in which
an offender was processed for an offence against the person. I have also
directed police to investigate why there has been an increase in domestic
violence incidents in Western Australia. Why have the figures increased and why
are they continuing to increase? Although we have had better reporting,
targeted policies and more proactive policing, I am yet to be convinced that
this is the sole driver of increases in family and domestic violence in this
state.
Other things the government is doing
include the allocation of $6.8 million to deliver support programs to enable
women and children to remain in their homes after domestic violence incidences.
Last financial year the government provided $23 million for specialist family
and domestic violence accommodation through an agreement on homelessness and
housing. The government has also announced new initiatives to improve services
and support to victims by expanding the child witness service, the victim
support service and the family violence intervention service. In addition, the
Attorney General has directed the Law Reform Commission to examine current
legislation and to recommend potential reforms to enhance the interests of
domestic violence victims in this state and ensure that they are protected by
the state.
These are only some of the
initiatives that the Liberal–National government is undertaking in the
domestic violence space. We take it very seriously. I am the first to say that
more needs to be done and I am very encouraged by the changing attitude of WA
Police when responding appropriately to domestic violence incidences. I look
forward in the future to updating the house on further initiatives in this
area.
this question on a very important issue—that is, family and domestic
violence in Western Australia. The state government certainly takes the matter
of domestic and family violence very seriously. I would also like to take this
opportunity to address some of the comments that were made in this house on
Tuesday by the member for Armadale. It is very important that members in this
house understand exactly what this government is doing in the family and
domestic violence space. There is no denying that police are usually the first
responders to incidents of family and domestic violence, but it is incorrect to
say that WA Police has sole responsibility in this area. A lot is already
happening. There is absolutely no denial by this government that we need to
improve the very complex network of government and not-for-profit agency
support networks that support families and victims of domestic violence. This
is already happening, but I acknowledge that there is room for improvement in
this space.
WA Police keeps the statistics and
records the data for domestic violence attendance in Western Australia. The
perception is often drawn that police are therefore accountable for the
increased incidence of domestic violence in this state. It is a trap that those
opposite continually fall into, but it is not an accurate reflection of where
the sole responsibility for domestic violence lies in this state. The reality
is that platitudes are just not helpful in this space. The government has taken
some very active steps to ensure that we have better accountability for family
and domestic violence and that we start to get better results and drive down
the incidence of family and domestic violence in Western Australia.
I have personally directed WA Police
to introduce a new key performance indicator for domestic violence. From next
financial year, police will be required to report within seven days on the
percentage of family and domestic violence–related incidents in which
an offender was processed for an offence against the person. I have also
directed police to investigate why there has been an increase in domestic
violence incidents in Western Australia. Why have the figures increased and why
are they continuing to increase? Although we have had better reporting,
targeted policies and more proactive policing, I am yet to be convinced that
this is the sole driver of increases in family and domestic violence in this
state.
Other things the government is doing
include the allocation of $6.8 million to deliver support programs to enable
women and children to remain in their homes after domestic violence incidences.
Last financial year the government provided $23 million for specialist family
and domestic violence accommodation through an agreement on homelessness and
housing. The government has also announced new initiatives to improve services
and support to victims by expanding the child witness service, the victim
support service and the family violence intervention service. In addition, the
Attorney General has directed the Law Reform Commission to examine current
legislation and to recommend potential reforms to enhance the interests of
domestic violence victims in this state and ensure that they are protected by
the state.
These are only some of the
initiatives that the Liberal–National government is undertaking in the
domestic violence space. We take it very seriously. I am the first to say that
more needs to be done and I am very encouraged by the changing attitude of WA
Police when responding appropriately to domestic violence incidences. I look
forward in the future to updating the house on further initiatives in this
area.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.