I agree... “This is an amazing beginning”

Leanne Sinclair, Associate Director, Family Violence Response at Victoria Legal Aid (Right) with Serina McDuff, Executive Officer at Federation of Community Legal Centres.

“This is an amazing beginning” Fiona McCormack, CEO, Domestic Violence Victoria

In March 2016, all consumed by the release of Victoria’s first Royal Commission into Family Violence report, I wrote that it was a landmark day and spoke of my pleasure in the recognition given to the value of legal advice in keeping victims safe and holding perpetrators to account of their violence. This morning, I attended the launch of the Victorian State Government’s 10 year plan to Ending Family Violence that will commit the Victorian State Government to the implementation of all 227 recommendations of the Royal Commission.

Fiona McCormack, CEO of Domestic Violence Victoria welcomed the government commitment to the implementation of family violence specialist courts saying “Courts are the places where our most at risk are”. Lawyers from Victoria Legal Aid and Community Legal Services have long known this to be true, and we had a lot to contribute to the Royal Commission itself. Working tirelessly in busy family violence court lists, the value of legal advice in preventing future violence or stopping it from escalating is self-evident. The legal response is an integral part of addressing family violence, ensuring that survivors of family violence can make informed choices about their future and safety and perpetrators understand the legal consequences of their actions and the conditions the court has placed on them.

I was pleased to read that the importance of legal advice has similarly been reflected in the proposed design elements for support and safety hubs in Victoria. Community consultations have confirmed that people need early access to legal services, so these hubs will be designed to work closely with police, courts and justice agencies to create a response that places people in the centre. At VLA we will continue to work closely with government, courts and police to ensure that those that need legal assistance will be able to easily access the advice and information that they need, when they need it.

In March 2016, I was optimistic that the Royal Commission’s recommendations would pave the way to implementing a more therapeutic response to adolescents who use family violence.

The different dynamics of this violence should be recognised, leading to a justice and service response that focusses on the unique needs of the young person and their family. It had long been my view that young people who use violence must be accountable and understand the consequences of their violence, but that the justice response should prioritise the use of therapeutic interventions that work with adolescents to not use violence and support the family to stay safe.

Today, in launching this action plan Victoria committed to trialling restorative justice processes and diversionary approaches for young people that will focus on addressing the underlying issues that drive their use of violence. I welcome this commitment, this form of response is essential to preventing the further perpetration of violence later in life.

So, the journey continues, and today I was once again proud to be amongst sector partners who are as equally committed as I to working together to create a society that is free of violence in Victoria. While we are but part of the way… today marked another landmark day.