This week, two new magistrates have been appointed to the Southport Domestic Violence Specialist Court – and while this is certainly a step in the right direction, more needs to be done.
Sadly, no corner of the state can claim to be free of the scourge of domestic violence, and that is why the specialist courts need to be further rolled out –Queensland Law Society has called for this in its 2017 State Election Call to Parties document – this is an issue on which our almost 12,000 members will not stay silent.
The need to fund these courts – and specialist duty lawyers at all domestic violence courts throughout the state – is crucial.
More than 5,500 applications were filed at the Southport specialist court – the first of its kind established in Queensland – during its first year, proving that these courts are an essential tool in the eradication of domestic violence.
