The Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs adopted an inquiry into family violence orders on 4 June 2024, following a referral from the Attorney-General, the Hon Mark Dreyfus KC MP.
The Committee is seeking written submissions, addressing one or more of the terms of reference by Friday, 19 July 2024.
Parliamentary committees cannot investigate or assist with individual cases, particularly those that are, or may be, before the courts. The Committee will not be publishing contributions that provide personal details or include information relating to individual cases or court orders. However, it may receive personal submissions as confidential evidence if they inform how the system and supports for victim-survivors may be improved.
Further information about making a submission to a parliamentary committee is available here.
If you are experiencing any issues uploading your submission through the online portal please email your submission to spla.reps@aph.gov.au.
Source: Inquiry into family violence orders – Parliament of Australia
The system itself has become weaponised, a tool for perpetrators. A rich perpetrator (male, in the case I am thinking of) can too easily inflict a Family Violence Order on his (impoverished, female) victim. And in that case, the presiding judge turned out to be as big a simpleton (by virtue of his legalistic training) and as prone to illegitimate influence, as many of our politicians. Legal and political systems are failing miserably. The terms of reference for this inquiry reflect an oversimplification of family violence and the law. Empowering victims is well and good – provided that the court has correctly identified the victim and perpetrator in a dispute. Access to justice is absolutely denied to those without financial means. And in our experience, even “legal aid” is a complete travesty of access to justice. For most, I would expect, access to justice is a costly exercise in futility. Injustice, however, is richly dispensed via the Family Court.
Please consider making a submission to this effect.