Government delivers $674 million response to Royal Commission into Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence

The State Government has released its detailed response to South Australia’s historic Royal Commission into Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence.

The report highlighted how complex the nature of domestic, family and sexual violence is, with structural, cultural, social, psychological and economic factors all contributing and the need for everyone to be involved in addressing it.

Since the release of the Royal Commission report in August, the government has been carefully working on a response to the 136 recommendations - spanning prevention, intervention, response, and recovery and healing - that is strategic and methodical and can deliver lasting systemic change.

To respond to recommendations, the State Government is investing $674 million over 10 years to address the immediate safety needs of survivors and lay the foundation for sustainable, long-term reform.

The Government has already begun acting on seven recommendations, including the establishment of lived experience groups and networks, a standalone domestic, family and sexual violence ministerial portfolio, the establishment of a Government Steward and a five year statewide domestic, family and sexual violence strategy.

A critical factor in considering reform delivery is balancing immediate demands for community safety and justice with required reforms to large and complex systems and structures.

To start this journey, the Government will invest in a number of major reforms on which the system will rely:

New pathways to find help:

• The establishment of a 24/7 central telephone and digital support line to access trauma informed care and connect with specialist support services. The existing Domestic Violence Crisis Line will receive increased funding while the new support line is being established.
• A new website for all domestic, family and sexual violence information including on the nature, drivers and impact of domestic, family and sexual violence as well as available support services.

SA Framework for Evaluating Risk (SAFER):

• A new evidence-based framework for identifying, evaluating and managing risk to individuals, particularly children and young people, and to better identify what help is needed.
• SAFER will be used by the child protection and family support system, South Australia Police (SAPOL) and specialist domestic, family and sexual violence support services to identify and manage risk and provide referral as required.

Integrated Response Teams:

• The State Government will establish multidisciplinary response teams in seven regions across the state.
• They will consolidate disparate response teams including Child and Family Safety Networks and the Multi-Agency Protection Service.

The Government’s priority in the first year is to provide greater certainty and stability for service providers and increase funding for flexible safety packages.

South Australia Police will elevate domestic, family and sexual violence within the organisation, with a new service, with more than 100 full time employees by 2031-32 led by a dedicated Assistant Commissioner.

The State Government will develop a common framework to identify and respond to harmful sexual behaviours in children and young people.

Other measures the government will adopt include:

• Increased flexibility to fund tailored, practical support packages for survivors including housing, legal advice and employment assistance.
• Cutting red tape for service providers and giving them longer-term funding so they can focus on frontline service delivery.
• More funding for the child protection and family support system to provide new services to children and families experiencing violence.
• More funding for the Safe at Home program for survivors to safely remain in their own home.
• Increasing rent in advance available to survivors and waiving means testing for the Private Rental Assistance program to allow better access to private rental housing.
• Doubling the number of public housing properties to be specifically set aside for those escaping domestic, family and sexual violence.
• Increased funding to improve access to forensic medical examinations including changes to legislation to allow registered midwives to conduct these examinations.
• Waiving fees for people who do not have access to Medicare for health services to treat survivors of sexual violence.
• Providing a new support service for people in contact with the justice system for intervention orders, supported by an online platform for survivors.
• Providing a safe and secure vulnerable witness suite to allow witnesses to attend and provide evidence for court hearings and trials without coming into contact with the defendant.
• Changes to legislation to implement a minimum 2-hour ‘safety-pause’ delay to prevent the rapid delivery of alcohol.
• Comprehensive and ongoing education and training for people working in the justice system to ensure responses are trauma informed, inclusive and accessible.
• Advocating for relevant content related to domestic, family and sexual violence in schools and universities as well as training for pre-school staff that will support increased community awareness of the pervasive nature of the issues.
• Expansion of abuse prevention programs to support behavioural change for people using violence to break the cycle of violence and to engage community effort and advance community capacity to be involved in prevention and awareness raising activities.
• Prevention activities, awareness raising and our help seeking service for young people will include a focus on tackling sexual violence, including online.

The SAFER framework and integrated response teams will be scaled up to be fully operational by 2030-31.

The State Government is committed to carefully and thoughtfully transforming the domestic, family and sexual violence system over the next 10 years and beyond and to doing so in partnership with the sector, our entire community and across every arm of government.

Quotes

Attributable to Peter Malinauskas

Domestic violence is a scourge. The report delivered by Royal Commissioner Natasha Stott Despoja sets a clear roadmap for us to act.

The Royal Commission’s work was completed after exhaustive engagement with experts, professionals and importantly, with hundreds of South Australians with lived experience of domestic, family and sexual violence.

As a Government, we have carefully considered the recommendations, and set about developing a comprehensive response.

$674 million is a significant budget commitment, but it is one that will deliver significant dividends in protecting South Australians.

We have already begun the work to deliver on the Royal Commission’s findings.

Attributable to Katrine Hildyard

With patience, purpose and determination, the Government intends to deliver on this ambitious vision to reduce domestic, family and sexual violence knowing that our approach must be sustained, collective and focussed.

I wholeheartedly thank Natasha Stott Despoja for her fearless and tireless work on the Royal Commission, which I’m confident will help lead to generational change on the scourge of domestic, family and sexual violence.

Through expansive reform, we will embrace the opportunity to build a system that protects, empowers and heals, that shifts harmful attitudes and behaviours, that amplifies the voices and experiences of brave survivors and helps move us toward a vision beyond violence.

I am so pleased that we have worked with survivors to establish our Lived Experience Advisory Network and interim group, which will both play a crucial role in envisaging and creating a fairer, safer future for everyone in our community.

Domestic, family and sexual violence is a challenge for our whole state and advancing impactful change through the Royal Commission roadmap will require every agency of government, every sector and every community and we invite everyone to play their part in the generational task ahead. Together, and only together, we will make a difference.