The Albanese government has been heavily criticised by the domestic, sexual and family violence response sector following the federal budget, which was described by frontline workers as “trickery and deception”.
The “rapid review” will cost $1.3 million over two years and will be led by Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commissioner Micaela Cronin, director of the Commonwealth Office for Women Padma Raman, and secretary of the Department of Social Services Ray Griggs.
The panel’s report is due between July and September, though a specific date has not yet been set.
Advocates, frontline workers and peak bodies have said they have reached saturation point on consultation on what governments must do to prevent and respond to violence against women and children.
They have called for urgent, ongoing funding for services, and for recommendations from previous reviews to be followed through.
An expert panel, which will include journalist and critic of current prevention strategies Jess Hill, will conduct the review alongside Ms Cronin, Ms Raman and Mr Griggs.
In a recent paper in collaboration with Michael Salter, Hill highlighted that across multiple metrics the current approach to prevention — focusing very heavily on increasing gender equality — had failed to reduce or prevent violence.
“We are not suggesting that the gendered violence sector abandon the project of gender equality as an important goal, but we do dispute a disproportionate focus on ‘gendered drivers’ of violence, both in analysis of the problem and the parameters of the prevention response.”
Also on the panel are:
- Todd Fernando, former Victorian LGBTQIA+ communities commissioner, co-founder of Koorie Pride Victoria and academic
- Leigh Gassner, assistant commissioner of Victoria Police
- Anne Summers, journalist and key figure in establishing early women’s and children’s refuges
- Elena Campbell, academic
- Zac Seidler, academic and global director of men’s health research at Movember.
[Ed: Almost half are blokes. And some women willing to redefine what a woman is to keep men happy. More trickery and deception to follow.]
Source: Expert panel to tell government how to prevent violence against women and children – ABC News