National cabinet to address domestic violence crisis

The nation’s leaders are gathering to discuss ways to end domestic violence amid an outcry over the deaths of women across Australia.

Measures to strengthen prevention efforts, tackle online harms and share information between law enforcement agencies about high-risk perpetrators will go before Wednesday’s national cabinet meeting.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the online meeting with state and territory leaders as thousands of people marched across the nation in weekend protests against gendered violence.

Economic Justice Australia wants the claim period for a crisis payment for victim-survivors to be extended to two weeks, calling seven days “a poor fit for people who have experienced a traumatic event”.

It also wants eligibility expanded as well as debt waivers for costs incurred fleeing domestic violence.

“Sadly, safety often equals poverty for women in Australia,” CEO Kate Allingham said.

Homelessness services helped almost 60,000 women and 38,000 children who experienced domestic or family violence in the past financial year, according to Homelessness Australia.

But less than four per cent of people were able to secure long-term housing needed to remain safe, it said.

“Lack of pathways to housing mean women experiencing violence are stuck in homelessness, with many returning to violent homes or never leaving,” said CEO Kate Colvin.

One in five women presenting to the emergency department has experienced domestic violence in the past year but it remains under-identified by hospital staff, the head of St Vincent’s Hospital Sydney’s domestic and family violence service said.

Adele Sheridan-Magro called for more funding to help hospitals play their part in early intervention with seven in 10 women experiencing domestic violence going undetected by hospital staff.

More than one in five women killed by partners visited an emergency department in the two years prior.

Domestic violence and violence against women was a national crisis, Mr Albanese said.

“It requires a whole of governments and whole of society, including the media and others, to be engaged,” he said.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton branded jail laws in some jurisdictions as “woefully inadequate” and also pointed to violent content on social media platforms influencing children’s attitudes.

“The normalisation of conduct which is not acceptable in the real world, and yet some of these young boys, young men will act that out in the real life,” he said.

It comes a day after an ACT review into how police deal with sexual assault found a failure to properly investigate sexual offences was the main reason for low charge rates.

It found there was poor communication, limited access to appropriate services, a mistaken understanding of consent and a narrow understanding of domestic and family violence risks.

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