Family Court Registrar Bully Mestrovic should be Named and Shamed

At Melbourne Family Court the senior registrar Ms Mestrovic thinks she has been appointed by God. Her claim to fame is reabusing Domestic violence victims on a regular basis. 

On incident whereby she verbally abused and yelled at and demeaned a Domestic violence survivor in front of her abuser was recorded on an iphone and this has been provided to the Royal Commssion into Family Violence. Along with 14 other reports of her horrid behavour, mostly taped on iphones.

Yes under the Survellience Act Vic you can tape conversations you are privy to. You cannot publish them without permission. Yet the Royal Commission has given permission for these recordings to be submitted. Once they are published I will be providing them on this blog.

One incident Mestrovic berated a domestic violence survivor and told her not to report interstate Assaults. Had the victim done so the perpetrator would be locked up in Western Australia now.

Another time, the 28th of April 2015 Mestrovic informed Judge Thornton that an application for an appeal wouldnt win. So Justice Thornton not only informed the Victim of this conversation in the courtroom (have the transcript Mestrovic) Justice Thornton decided not to suspend the current family court orders.

Mestrovic has sent aggressive emails to Domestic Violence Survivors. Her incestuous relationship with the head Family Consultant aptly referred to as Ms Kunt means they think they have more power between them than the full bench of the Family Court.

Mestrovic thinks that her position enables her to bully well it is not. I will be providing copies of transcripts and references to her horrid behaviour weekly.

Mestrovic has received complaints, and her standard answer is sorry, if I did that, but I can’t remember. How lovely.

Oh and don’t be in a hurry to get any justice at the Family Court in Melbourne if you are a survivor of Domestic Violence because this head registrar decides whether applications are deemed important enough or not to warrant a hearing.

Who died and made her God? I am still wondering. She should be removed from her post and sent to the cleaning section of the Court, because her only apparent skill is brushing Family Violence under the carpet.

A disgrace to the legal profession and the Family Court. A disappointment that she is an insensitive female who has no actual idea of the pain and sufferring she is causing children and survivors of Family Violence.

Family Domestic violence being controlled by others you love

Every 3 hours an australian women is admitted to hospital due to domestic violence. These are not the only battle scars domestic violence survivors have.

If one more person asks me how can a survivor be abused by domestic violence and not have any physical scars I am going to scream. The unseen scars can mean a debilitating Mental illness, Psychological & economic abuse that is still occurring.

This is a brilliant article about Coercive Controlling Violence affecting us all by being hidden from the naked eye.

Domestic Abuse: Coercive Controlling Violence

Dynamics

Domestic abuse is ongoing, purposeful behavior that is aimed at dominating one’s partner, and often one’s children as well.³ It is also referred to as coercive controlling violence⁴ or simply, coercive control.⁵

Context

Social norms and unequal distribution of resources (income, education, employment political power, etc.) lead some individuals to feel entitled to control their partner.  In heterosexual relationships, the norms and inequality are largely, but not entirely, gender-related. 

Gender of perpetrators

What coercive control looks like

Domestic abuse  involves repeated, ongoing, intentional control tactics used by one partner against the other. Those tactics may be physical, sexual, economic, psychological, legal, institutional, or all of the above. They often include:

• Unreasonable and non-negotiable demands.
• Stalking – surveillance and unwanted contact.
• Cruelty.
• Destroying the partner’s other relationships and isolating her/him from friends, family members, co-workers and others.
• Restricting daily activities.
• Coercion – a combination of demands, threats of negative consequences for noncompliance, and surveillance.⁶
• Manipulation through minimization, denial, lies, promises, etc.
• Threats and intimidation.
• Excuses, rationalizations and blame. 
• Stifling the partner’s independence.
• Controlling partner’s access to information and services.
• Sexual abuse and violence; reproductive coercion.⁷
• Economic control and exploitation.
• Identity abuse.
• Physical violence – which can range from minor to lethal.  The physical violence typical of abuse is more frequent and severe than that typical of situational violence.⁸,⁹ 

• Deprivation of liberty, equality and personhood;¹⁰ treating their partner and children as objects.¹¹
• Extreme jealousy, possessiveness and ridiculous accusations of infidelity. (Abusers often imagine that their partner is cheating, and jealousy and suspicion are the usual motivations of men who murder a current or former partner.¹²,¹³)
• Punishing the partner and children for infractions (and imaginary infractions) of their rules.
• Ignoring their partner’s needs, opinions and feelings, and the harm that their behavior does to her/him.
• Separation violence.

Note: 

Domestic abuse is unlikely to end just because the victim ends the relationship. It often continues or escalates at separation, as a continuation of coercive control.  In fact, many murders of abused women occur during or after separation, when the abuser feels the victim is escaping his/her control, and tries to re-establish it. But domestic abuse is not caused by separation,¹⁴ and thinking that it is can lead us to grossly underestimate the danger to the victim. Unlike people who abuse their partners, those who engage only in separation-related violence are typically ashamed of what they have done, and stop after one or two episodes.

Consequences to victims:

• Injuries – minor to severe – are highly likely.
• Stress-related illnesses; long-term disabilities.
• Unwanted pregnancies.
• Lost work time, unemployment, poverty.
• Loss of children, harm to children, parenting difficulties.
• PTSD, depression, substance abuse.
• Death.  About 1/3 of female murder victims each year are killed by an intimate partner, compared to 3- 4% of male victims.¹⁵

Implications for intervention: 

Victims need domestic violence services, safety planning, orders of protection, and support. Victims should not have to deal with their partner’s domestic abuse all by themselves. 

Abusers 

How we understand domestic violence shapes how we intervene. 

• If we see domestic abuse as simply problematic individual behavior, driven by mental health problems or substance abuse, we look for ways to respond therapeutically to the individual. 
• If we see it as attitude-driven and socially reinforced, we look for social changes that make it less likely. 
• If we see it as essentially a crime, we look for criminal justice solutions.  
• And if we are not clear about why abusers act as they do, we are likely to take potshots at the problem – and risk doing more harm than good. 

Strategies for various professionals can be found in What Can I Do To Help Hold Abusers Accountable

Questions to ask yourself:  Does your partner abuse  you?

• Does he minimize and excuse his violence and exaggerate yours?
• Does she express attitudes of entitlement?
• Does he exaggerate his injuries and minimize yours?
• Does he seem to intentionally choose where and when he gets violent, and what part of your body he attacks?
• Is how he acts in public different from how he acts at home?
• Does she only destroy your property when she’s “out of control” – not her own?
• Does he try to make himself appear to be a victim?

Afraid, isolated, confused?

You are not alone.

Additional information for victims of domestic violence

If you answered “yes” to many of these questions…

• Seeing your partner’s behavior accurately could help you stop blaming yourself for it.
• You may want to talk over your situation with an advocate at alocal domestic violence program, or with your counselor, if you have one.

Next Page:Why Would Anyone Abuse Their Partner?

Back To Understanding Domestic Abusers homepage

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3. Johnson, M.P. (2008). A Typology of Domestic Violence:  Intimate terrorism, violent resistance, and situational couple violence. Boston: Northeastern University Press.
4. Kelly & Johnson, (2008). 
5. Stark, E. (2007). Coercive Control: How Men Entrap Women in Personal Life, Oxford University Press, refers to this behavior as coercive control, p 387.
6. Dutton, M.A., Goodman, L. & Schmidt, R.J. (2006). Development and Validation of a Coercive Control Measure for Intimate Partner Violence: Final Technical Report. National Institute of Justice.
7. Moore, A.M., Frohwirth, L. & Miller, E. (2010). Male reproductive control of women who have experienced intimate partner violence in the United States, Guttmacher Institute.
8. Kelly & Johnson (2008).
9. “[N]onviolent control tactics may be effective without the use of violence (especially if there has been a history of violence in the past)…. Johnson (2008) has recently argued for the recognition of “incipient” Coercive Controlling Violence (cases in which there is a clear pattern of power and control but not yet any physical violence), and Stark (2007) contends…that the focus in the law should shift from the violence itself to the coercive control as a “liberty crime.” Ibid., p 481-482.
10. Stark (2007), refers to this behavior as coercive control, p 387.
11. Bancroft, L. & Silverman, J.G.  (2002a). The Batterer as a Parent. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
12. Wilson, M. & Daly, M. (1993). Spousal homicide risk & estrangement.  Violence & Victims, 8(1), 3-16.
13. Kimmel, M. (2001). Male Victims of Domestic Violence: A Substantive and Methodological Research Review – a report to The Equality Committee of the Department of Education and Science.
14. Ibid. True separation-related violence is unexpected violence by a previously nonviolent partner – usually the one who is being left.
15. Fox, J.A. & Zawitz, M.W. (2007). Homicide Trends in the U.S.: Intimate Homicide, Bureau of Justice Statistics.

PTSD due to Domestic violence and no sleep is like being the walking dead

Its 1.34am in the morning. I have been to bed three times already tonight, fallen asleep possibly a few times, but woken by my PTSD.

Have warm milk, don’t get up, try to relax, these are some the advice given by thoughtful family members. 

Instead im up researching sleephealth at the australian foundation. I cannot lay in bed for half an hour, not sleeping and fidgeting!

this is what they say

How might PTSD affect sleep?

There are may sleep problems that may be associated with PTSD.

• The extreme anxiety of PTSD (caused by trauma or catastrophe) can seriously disrupt sleep. In some cases this starts a few months after the event. You might suffer from horror or strong fear and feel helpless.

See Anxiety and Sleep.

• People with PTSD have higher rates of depression and this is often associated with poor sleep.

See Depression and Sleep.

• Side effects of medications used to treat symptoms of PTSD, such as those used to treat depression and anxiety, may cause sleep problems. Talk to your doctor about this.

• Nightmares. These may be types of ‘nocturnal flashbacks’ of the event that caused the PTSD. The nightmares may be linked to the PTSD in a symbolic sense, or they can be frightening and not make any sense.

• You may experience other problems with how you sleep such as sleep terrors, sleep walking, sleep talking, upsetting dreams and night sweats or REM Sleep Behaviour Disorder, where dreams are acted out.

• Insomnia.

People with PTSD may have difficulty with getting to sleep or staying asleep. They may wake up frequently during the night and be unable to get back to sleep. • Issues linked to the body clock, such as Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder may occur in a person with PTSD. If you can’t get to sleep until very late at night and then need to sleep in you may be experiencing this problem.

• Obstructive Sleep Apnoea may be caused by weight gain due to the life style changes associated with the PTSD. If the sleep apnoea is serious, medications such as Seroquel can be an additional danger.

• It is important to remember that poor sleep can make the other symptoms of PTSD worse. How might these sleep disorders be treated in people with PTSD? For many such problems it is important to keep Good Sleep Habits.

People who are most at risk of PTSD include many professions where shift work may also be common, such as police officers, people in the armed forces, and those who work in emergency services (e.g. fire fighters and ambulance personnel).

A person with PTSD who does shift work may need to pay special attention to maximising their sleep time and sleep quality. A sleep psychologist may be able assist.g.au

Raising awareness of sleep health Important Things to Know About PTSD and Sleep

• PTSD can happen after a period of extreme trauma and stress.

• One of the symptoms of PTSD may be problems with sleeping.

• The treatment for this will depend on how the PTSD is affecting sleep.

• There are many treatments available.

How might PTSD affect sleep? There are may sleep problems that may be associated with PTSD. 

• The extreme anxiety of PTSD (caused by trauma or catastrophe) can seriously disrupt sleep. In some cases this starts a few months after the event. You might suffer from horror or strong fear and feel helpless.

See Anxiety and Sleep.

• People with PTSD have higher rates of depression and this is often associated with poor sleep. See Depression and Sleep.

• Side effects of medications used to treat symptoms of PTSD, such as those used to treat depression and anxiety, may cause sleep problems. Talk to your doctor about this.

• Nightmares. These may be types of ‘nocturnal flashbacks’ of the event that caused the PTSD. The nightmares may be linked to the PTSD in a symbolic sense, or they can be frightening and not make any sense.

• You may experience other problems with how you sleep such as sleep terrors, sleep walking, sleep talking, upsetting dreams and night sweats or REM Sleep Behaviour Disorder, where dreams are acted out.

• Insomnia. People with PTSD may have difficulty with getting to sleep or staying asleep. They may wake up frequently during the night and be unable to get back to sleep.

• Issues linked to the body clock, such as Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder may occur in a person with PTSD. If you can’t get to sleep until very late at night and then need to sleep in you may be experiencing this problem.

• Obstructive Sleep Apnoea may be caused by weight gain due to the life style changes associated with the PTSD. If the sleep apnoea is serious, medications such as Seroquel can be an additional danger.

• It is important to remember that poor sleep can make the other symptoms of PTSD worse. How might these sleep disorders be treated in people with PTSD? For many such problems it is important to keep Good Sleep Habits. People who are most at risk of PTSD include many professions where shift work may also be common, such as police officers, people in the armed forces, and those who work in emergency services (e.g. fire fighters and ambulance personnel).

A person with PTSD who does shift work may need to pay special attention to maximising their sleep time and sleep quality. A sleep psychologist may be able assist. SHF-PTSD-0312 21/3/12 6:20 PM Page 1 Nightmares can often be successfully treated with Image Rehearsal Therapy (IRT).

IRT is not much more than writing a script of the nightmare. The only thing is that the ending is changed to something happier. Every night as you go to bed, you read the script out aloud a few times. Then as you fall asleep you use a technique to relax. The nightmare happens, except that now it does not end badly. In time, it will go away. Success depends on the choice of the new ending.

This means that it needs to be chosen carefully and a sleep psychologist can help. REM Sleep Behaviour Disorder also responds well to Image Rehearsal Therapy. Often, treatment with the benzodiazepine Clonazepam (Rivotril) may be used.

Sleepwalking and talking can be dealt with by hypnosis.

Often as part of the treatment you might learn methods to relax as you go to bed. For military people with sleep disorders and PTSD, sleeping tablets often don’t work well.

This is because their training has taught them to be alert around the clock. In brief, being on patrol means that it is hard to find the chance to sleep deeply at night. Hypnosis can work to help un-learn this. Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder (DSPD), where the hours of sleep are later than usual, is common in those who have served in wars.

A former soldier might not let himself / herself sleep until near dawn. The reason they do this is that they worry they will get nightmares if they sleep in the dark. So, over the years the body clock gets stuck on a sleep wake cycle that is not at the normal times.

Or it can be that DSPD stems from years of military “shiftwork” schedules of army guard duty or ever-changing watches in the navy at sea. Sleeping pills can not change this body clock. All they do is mask the underlying problem, often without providing refreshing sleep.

Melatonin may help with such problems.

ok I have read all the material and still awake. As boring as reading it for the fifth time, i am still not tired.

Back to warm milk perhaps (again)

Brandis & Cash will let 184 women be killed by #domesticviolence before release in 2017

National Family Violence Bench Book

9 June 2015

Joint media release

Attorney-General
Senator The Hon George Brandis QC

Minister Assisting The Prime Minister For Women
Senator The Hon Michaelia Cash

Today we announce that work has commenced on a National Family Violence Bench Book which is another Abbott Government initiative to eliminate the scourge of domestic violence.

The current prevalence of family violence in Australia is utterly unacceptable. The Abbott Government has made it a priority to protect the safety of women and children.

It is fundamental that women and their families are safe from violence in their homes and communities and we remain absolutely committed to ensuring we reduce and ultimately end domestic violence.

The Bench Book will be a comprehensive online tool for judges across Australia, covering civil and criminal laws in federal, state and territory jurisdictions. It will promote best practice and consistency in judicial decision making in cases involving family violence.

This is a significant step towards an effective, harmonised approach to family violence in our courts. We have asked the Australasian Institute of Judicial Administration, in partnership with the University of Queensland TC Beirne School of Law, to develop the Bench Book.

An expert advisory group, including judges, legal practitioners and academics will inform the content.

The Bench Book implements a recommendation of the Australian Law Reform Commission and the New South Wales Law Reform Commission in their 2010 Report, Family Violence— A National Legal Response. It will complement efforts under the National Plan to Reduce Violence Against Women and their Children.

We thank the Australasian Institute of Judicial Administration and the University of Queensland for undertaking this important work.

The Bench Book will be made available in June 2017. We look forward to it becoming Australia’s leading judicial resource on family violence in the court system.

Financial Abuse the Hidden epidemic in Family Domestic Violence

When people think of abuse, what comes to mind is usually physical abuse, followed by sexual, emotional or psychological abuse. Financial, or economic, abuse is another way batterers control their partners to keep them in a relationship. It’s a very powerful form of abuse that, like other types of abuse, often begins subtly and progressives over time.

In the beginning, a partner might make taking care of joint finances seem like an act of kindness, offering to take the burden off the other partner’s shoulders. But over time, the abuser takes more and more control, allowing the survivor less and less access to money, thereby making him or her increasingly more financially dependent on the abuser.

“Financial abuse is often neglected in the assessment of domestic violence,” says Sherry Hamby, Ph.D., author of Battered Women’s Protective Strategies: Stronger Than You Know. “But it is a really huge issue. There are a lot of ways batterers can affect abuse.”

So how do you know if you’re the victim of financial abuse? Ask yourself if your partner does any of the following.

• Forbid you from working?
• Sabotage employment opportunities?
• Control how money is spent?
• Deny you direct access to bank accounts?
• Give you an “allowance”?
• Force you to write bad checks or file fraudulent tax returns?
• Run up large debts on joint accounts without your permission?
• Force you to work in the family business without pay?
• Refuse to pay bills for accounts that are in your name in order to ruin your credit?
• Force you to turn over paychecks or public benefits checks?
• Force you to account for all money you spend by showing receipts?
• Apply for credit accounts using your name and personal information?
• Withhold money for basic necessities like food, clothing, medication and housing?
• Spend money on himself or herself but not allow you to do the same?
• Give you presents or pay for things and expect something in return?
• Force you to work while he or she does not and yet still controls all the money?

More Domestic violence survivors suffer Brain Injuries than AFL Footy players

Traumatic Brain Injury affects one in four Family Domestic Violence Survivors. This is higher than professional football players and other professional sports. These are the ones diagnosed, and there are domestic violence survivors out there with symptoms of Traumatic Brain Injury who go undiagnosed.

I have met several women who have been survivors of Family Domestic Violence, and have Traumatic Brain Injury. The stigma that is attached to TBI is already a hurdle, but have to explain to others that it is to do with Violence can be incomprehensible.

One mother diagnosed had her children removed from her in Family Court Australia because of this injury.

This is athe article in the Huffington Post regarding Domestic Violence and Traumatic Brain Injury.

Earlier this week, The Huffington Post ran a story on undiagnosed traumatic brain injury in domestic violence survivors. We received an outpouring of emails from women who suspected they might be suffering from the condition. Here, we spoke to some experts on what women should do if they believe they have a traumatic brain injury.

It’s fairly well known that traumatic brain injury — a complex injury caused by a jolt or blow to the head — disproportionately affects athletes and soldiers. But what about the 1 in 4 women in the U.S. who are estimated to be survivors of domestic violence?

What Are The Symptoms Of TBI?

According to Hirsch Handmaker, a radiologist who is studying the link between domestic violence and TBI, as many as 20 million women each year may have TBI from abusive relationships. Symptoms of TBI include headaches, double vision, imbalance and decreased motor ability, as well as problems with memory, planning, learning, aggression, irritability and depression, he said.

Women who suspect they may have undiagnosed brain injury should see their primary care physician and get a referral for testing, said Robert Knechtel, M.D., interim director of the Sojourner BRAIN program, which launched an ambitious effort to research TBI in domestic violence survivorsthis week. Women may be referred to an ophthalmologist, audiologist, cognitive therapist or a neurologist for testing, depending on their symptoms.

Knechtel said the most important thing is to be honest with your doctor about the cause of injury. “Don’t be ashamed of telling the physician that you’ve been a victim of domestic violence,” he said. “They need to get the complete picture.”

Make A List Of Injuries, Including When They Happened

Knechtel recommends that women write down a list of all the times they were hit in the head and what part of the head was hit, if it is safe to do so. TBI affects memory, so for some women, this may be a difficult task. But in order to treat TBI, he said, doctors need to pinpoint exactly where the injury is located in the brain.

Women should also note if they have ever been strangled — a common tactic by abusers and a predictor of future lethal violence. “Strangulation is a cause of traumatic brain injury, and you don’t really even need to lose consciousness,” Knechtel said. “If you have decrease of blood flow to the brain, you can have parts of the brain that are affected.

Ask Your Doctor Any Questions About Your Injuries. Make Sure They Are Answered.

Write down questions for the doctor before the visit, Knechtel said, and make sure they are answered before you leave. While there is growing awareness of TBI in military and athletes, he said, many health care providers are still not educated about brain injury caused by domestic violence and may downplay women’s symptoms, or chalk them up to stress. “Insist on testing, and on having an investigation done,” Knechtel said. “If you are being ignored, you may need to find a different doctor.”

If a woman has an acute injury, she should seek help immediately at an emergency room. “The first 24 to 48 hours are critical from a concussion standpoint,” he said.

If You Experience A Concussion, It’s OK To Sleep And Rest

Knechtel cautioned that women are especially vulnerable to brain injury in the aftermath of a concussion, and should do whatever is possible to avoid a secondary head injury while in recovery. “The additive nature of concussions over a short period of time can significantly impact long-term brain damage,” he said, comparing a woman who is discharged from the hospital and subsequently assaulted to a football player who returns to active play before his brain is healed.

Following a concussion, he said, it can be helpful to lie down in a quiet, dark room and sleep. Despite what many of us were told growing up, letting someone fall asleep after a concussion is actually exactly what the brain needs.

Contact Your Local Domestic Violence Coalition

Allie Bones, the CEO of the Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence, recommends that women who have TBI symptoms reach out to their state domestic violence coalition to see what support services are available in their area.

“The coalitions tend to have the best information about what the domestic violence programs across the state offer,” she said. “These days, most programs are trying to focus on a trauma-informed approach, coming from the perspective that people who have experienced trauma have a lot of different ways their brain may be affected.”

Undiagnosed TBI can make it harder for women to leave abusive partners, as they may have trouble planning a safe exit strategy, holding down a job or may suffer from debilitating low self-esteem due to impaired cognitive abilities.

Bones said that domestic violence coalitions can give women an opportunity to talk about their experiences, and to find support with some of the typical problems that domestic violence survivors struggle with, like finding affordable housing and filing for divorce, which can become even more unmanageable with a brain injury.

Domestic violence power and control wheel. Credit: Domestic Abuse Intervention Project

Seek Out Help With Legal Issues

Symptoms of TBI can make simple tasks, such as filling out forms and remembering dates and times, challenging. For women who are involved in court cases due to their abuse, brain injury can make an already confounding process even harder.

“Having a legal advocate who can help them navigate those processes is really important,” Bones said, adding that a state coalition should be able to help put survivors in touch with advocates who can assist them. “They might not be able to do it themselves.”

Never Give Up Hope

Chris Nowinski, executive director of the Sports Legacy Institute, had one message to women who have signs of brain injury: Don’t give up hope.

“Whatever your symptoms are, there is treatment to make you feel better, and you should aggressively pursue it,” he said. “Sometimes symptoms can last for years and slowly fade away.”

Nowinski said it is important for women who may have TBI to be educated so they can adjust how they live, and educate those around them to better understand their medical condition. Women should get in touch with theBrain Injury Association in their state for more information on TBI and to access local resources, he said.

“There’s a lot of people in this country living with the effects of traumatic brain injury,” he said. “We are all trying to get connected and raise awareness and advance research and get better treatment. We deserve it.”

If you are a domestic violence survivor with TBI and want to share your story, email reporter Melissa Jeltsen at melissa.jeltsen@huffingtonpost.com.

No Justice Family Court Australia Reabusing Domestic Violence Survivors

In 2012, approximately 5000 women in Victoria used the services of the Salvation Army Domestic Violence Outreach Services. Of those 5000 women it is estimated that most of the services were for women and children escaping violence. After two years, 350 of those service users were randomly selected to see where they are now.

All of the group were immediately homeless upon leaving the family home environment. Some left without their children, and in 29 per cent of the cases do not have access to their children anymore. The perpetrator of the Family Violence, or government agencies have become the caregivers. In total that is 152 children without their mother in their lives. What generation of children will we have in the future?

A further 68 percent of the group now share “Parental responsibly” with their perpetrator, and “Shared Care”. Which means they get to face their perpetrator on a regular basis, and their children get to spend time with the person who they watched inflict violence on their mother. The biggest concern of this group was the undue pressure placed on them by Lawyers and the Family Court to share care with their perpetrator or otherwise be seen as an alienating parent.

Their legal support ranged from Legal Aid to Privately engaged Solicitors, to self-representation.

Family Violence Royal Commission Recommendation

1. Violence of any type needs to be recognised and should become a specialised legal area. Education and understanding is the key.

When you speak to lawyers, they will inform you, that usually you will become specialised in one area, and basically stick to it throughout their career. Yet I have had the privilege of seeing Family Court Barristers who “cut their teeth” so to speak in Criminal Law, and only went into Family Law recently. Their performances in court remind me of something of a circus that should have stayed at the Supreme Court.

Again and again I have seen Family Violence victims treated with disrespect by not only the legal profession, but also by Judges. Justice Thornton who was one of the first female Magistrates in Melbourne cut her teeth in the days of armed robbers, corrupt police, and women were sparse, not only on the bench. She went onto a successful career at the Country Court, and the Full Bench of The County Court before being made a Family Court Judge.

But to survive that sort of atmosphere of tough crimes, and horrendous acts, it would toughen anyones heart. I am not suggesting Justice Thornton is in any way bias, it his her criminal law past that has become part of her mannerisms.

So when you are in her courtroom one can close their eyes and be reminded of the late 1970’s and the old Melbourne Bluestone Magistrates Court. This is not the type of atmosphere anyone who has suffered family violence should be subjected to.

2. Legal assistance is a right not a privilege.

Legal Aid, now that is another circus altogether. Firstly you need to be fortunate enough to even qualify for legal aid, (which in the 350 women less than 60 did, basically less than ten percent.) The reason being is they had assets. That is correct. Even if you dont live in the family home, or have no access to your ex partners superannuation, or their bank accounts, these are deemed assets so you do not qualify for legal aid. Time and time again family violence victims are turned away from legal aid.

If you are fortunate to even get legal aid, each time a victim of Family violence attends court, they get a different lawyer. So they repeat most or some of their story (yet again) and hope and pray for the best.

Had these women been found at sea and been acknowledged as a refugee, they would gain more free legal assistance than women from family violence.

Then there are the family violence victims who sign over their potential assests in order to get legal assistance. Yes, your equity in your family home, and anything else you own can be hocked so to speak to assist you with legal assistance. That is only until the legal fees come close to the value of your assests, then you no longer qualify for any further assistance, and you are on your own.

Self represented family violence victims up against a party with representation is possibly the worst case scenario I have had to watch in Family Court. Usually the Judge becomes agitated  because time is being wasted, but also the unfairness and pressure placed on someone in this situation is so difficult to watch. Hence they sign up to shared care with their perpetrator, the quickest and easiest solution to get out of the court cycle.

What happened to the other 3 percent of the follow-up study? Well it is actually 10 women. In six cases the father has had no contact or walked away from the ex partner  (five did not have children and one was pregnant at the time which was stillborn), and the other four have partners incarcerated. No, only one was incarcerated for violence. The other three are in prison for other offences.

If you would like to read more about womens experiences with the family court and family violence a detailed report by Dr Lesley Laing called NO WAY TO LIVE should be read.

“No way to live”

Women’s experiences of negotiating the family law system in the context of domestic violence Dr Lesley Laing, Faculty of Education and Social Work, University of Sydney. June 2010

FAMILY COURT OF AUSTRALIA RE ABUSING FAMILY VIOLENCE VICTIMS

The Honorable Chief Justice Diana Bryant I believe is attempting to support victims of Family Violence through the Family Court system. The Family Violence Best Practice Principles approved and supported by the Family Court of Australia is to be commended. You can view this at the link below

http://www.familylawcourts.gov.au/wps/wcm/connect/FLC/Home/Publications/Family+Law+Courts+publications/fv_best_practice_for_flc

However the Chief Justice Diana Bryant has a long way to go before these principles are actually adhered to by all members of the Family Court, including Judges and staff.

I have been researching family violence in the Family Court system for approximately four years. I have been privy to some situations whereby as a bystander I have held concerns for the unethical behaviour of Judges and staff of the Family Court system.

I have attended over 700 sitting days in different Family Court rooms listening to, watching, and talking with people associated with proceedings regarding family law and more importantly family violence. This includes lawyers, barristers, court staff, security staff, victims, court support network staff, and other members of the public at family court proceedings.

Firstly my recommendations to the Family Violence Royal Commission regarding the Family Court System are as follows

1. No victim should be subjected to any type of ridicule or abuse by anyone. Family Court proceedings for any person involved is already stressful enough, then add the mixture of Family Violence and there is another fear and stress amongst parties.

This recommendation regards the following:

a. Protestors in the front area of the family court entrance. I know we are a country that has free speech, but to be subjected to certain groups yelling with a megaphone about their rights to a victim about to enter Family Court is incomprehensible.

I am going to give you an example. Please do not email me with abuse that I have used a mens group as an example here. I have met and spoken with male victims of Family Violence and they will also be featured in my blog. Violence does not have a gender and can occur across many types of blended families.

I was with a woman who was attending Family Court regarding Family Violence. At the front of the court entrance area a group of men protesting about men being victims of Family Violence started directing their speech toward the woman I was with. She had bruising to her face that was fading, and one comment that was made was “I bet he looks worse”. The woman in question became upset and that seemed to encourage an onslaught of further demeaning comments.

Fortunately I was able to get Family Court Security Staff to assist. No one has the right to behave like this. No one should be able to protest in this area ever.

b. Another time when the case of Mr Hird and the Essendon Football club recent incidents, the entrance walkway to the Family Court was full of reporters and cameras. I was that day with a woman who had just been granted an emergency relocation order due to her ex partner breaching the Family Violence Orders on 36 occasions, (including breaking into the former family home and beating the mother and children.) The Family Court had granted her permission to move to an unknown place. She had attended the Melbourne Family Court because of security fears at another Family Court Facility.

Upon coming to and from the Family Court of Melbourne she was filmed by camera crews awaiting Mr Hird and his entourage. So much for her personal security.

2. Security measures at Family Court should be effective enough to reduce the threat or fear of being subjected to any type of intolerable behaviour by any person(s) towards any other person(s). 

At the entrance to the front of the Family Court of Melbourne is inadequate with security, and deemed in my opinion quite dangerous.

a. Anyone who has had the privilege of standing in line to get through only one security check point at the Family Court in Melbourne may have been privy to some of the issues I have seen and heard. Firstly it can take up to 40 minutes some mornings. I have been present when victims and perpetrators have been within a confined distance. I have heard degrading comments made, intimidating hand gestures ( once a perpetrator kept slicing his throat with his hand and mouthing YOU’RE FUCKING DEAD) in front of me. I have heard barking (unaware who it was directed at), aggressive mannerisms, and basically stand offish filthy intimidating looks.

The entrance should be larger, contain cameras and more security. Perhaps even the model taken by the Melbourne Magistrates Court whereby solicitors, Barristers and Qcs or anyone attending the court regularly in this type of capacity have a different que in order to speed things up. I don’t know what the answer is. All I know is it is another area where a victim can be re victimized unnecessarily, or see others be victimized in front of them.

b.Upon leaving the Family Court, well that’s another matter and a whole other bag of security issues. I have seen people who have not gained the required results so to speak in the court room become upset and agitated and started being abusive towards others (including their legal representation). There should be a separate exit area. Imagine attending Family Court for the first time and hearing verbal abuse and viewing aggression from a person who is clearly upset regarding their predicament. Regardless of whether this is a once off behavioural issue, “out of character” so to speak, I have seen this time and time again. It is very concerning.

c. Security inside the Courtrooms is insufficient. I have been privy to many instances whereby I have been concerned for my own safety sitting in the gallery watching court room proceedings. There are no cameras. I have seen victims be intimidated by looks, hand gestures and remarks made by perpetrators turning their backs to where the actual microphones in the court rooms are. I have seen an entourage of family and friends in the gallery intimidating victims. I have also seen unfortunately members of the Legal profession behave in similar ways. Knowing exactly where the microphones are and turning their bodies to make snide comments to victims. I have actually been privy to a legal representative slide across the bar table written assistance to a perpetrator, and a law-book marked and open. If there were cameras in the court rooms there would be more accountability.

d. Security when no one is present in the courtroom. Cameras need to be installed. The recording of matters only occurs when the residing person is present. Therefore once they leave the court room the recording ceases. I have been privy to perpetrators taking this opportunity to intimidate victims. I have been informed by Family Court Clerk staff of their concerns for safety when they need to leave the courtroom after the Judge and having self represented litigants left by themselves. In one instance I was in the gallery when two self representing litigants involving family violence became embroiled in what can only be described as a Mexican standoff so to speak. For ten minutes I became concerned for my welfare as well as the victims.

3. When someone requests Security to be present in a courtroom it should be provided. The fear of being within a confined space with a perpetrator can trigger emotional and psychological fears. It also can be a way to intimidate the victim.

a. This would have to be one of the most highly discussed issues of concern with Victims of Family Violence. I have been privy to Justice MacMillan removing security from the courtroom because “she did not see the need for it as the defendant didn’t look like a threat to her” and she openly ridiculed the victim in the courtroom for suggesting that security was warranted. Prior to this hearing in front of Justice MacMillan the same victim had been intimidated, verbally berated, and another Judge had made sure that security was always present on numerous occasions.

b. Another case I was observing involving Justice Thornton whereby a Victim requested not to attend court physically and requested video link facilities was declined. The request was made by the victim due to recent breaches in their family Violence orders that were being investigated by Victoria Police. Justice Thornton made a comment in open court that “nothing will happen because others will be present”. Yet that did not assist the trauma the Victim had to face being within a confined space of a perpetrator who was under investigation for stalking and intimidation.

c. I was also privy to another incident regarding Justice Thornton that totally shocked me. An issue was raised in a case regarding Economic Abuse and Justice Thornton remarked “is that Family Violence?” I have kept in contact with the victim of these proceedings and have received transcripts of further proceedings regarding this case and Justice Thornton. Another comment made by Justice Thornton which shocked me was when the victim was being cross-examined on the fourth day, she was crying and asked the Independent children’s Barrister why she was doing this to her? Justice Thornton replied “well that’s what your barrister did (referring to the half day of cross-examination the perpetrator had)”. Fifteen minutes later, after continual sobbing, the victim, still in the witness-box asked for a 10 minute break to compose herself. Justice Thornton denied the victim not once, but four times these requested breaks. So a victim of 12 years of extensive family violence was in the witness-box for four days, being cross-examined by the perpetrator as well as the Independent Childrens Lawyer Barrister. Evidence was heard and admitted to by the perpetrator and by the expert psychiatrist admitting to family violence. (including the father assaulting the child).

What happened at the end of the trial? The victim lost parental responsibility and her children to the perpetrator. Just for an update. The child in question was assaulted again by the father, and he still has not been investigated regarding this issue. The mother is in the process of attempting to appeal the family court orders, but was recently informed by Justice Thornton that “she had no hope” and the application to suspend the current family court orders until the appeal was heard was denied.

d. I have viewed Justice Benjamin, who upon a request from a victim to have security present he rolled his eyes and said no. When the victim attempted to explain that they feared the perpetrator, he held his hand up in a stop like position and stated “no and that’s the end of that matter”.

e. Magistrate Turner from the Federal Circuit Court, I was privy to observing his approach to Family Violence. The victims solicitor requested security to be present (due to a previous incident at the Federal Circuit Court outside the courtroom regarding intimidation towards the solicitor and victim by a family member of the perpetrators) Magistrate Turner informed the solicitor that “she was a big girl” and “could handle a bit of criticism, as it went with the job” . Afterwards the victim informed me that the solicitor had been intimidated. She was approached and told that they knew where she lived, and the train times she caught to work was discussed. I asked the victim why the solicitor did not push the matter further, and I was informed because her role entailed being at the Family Court regularly, and she did not want to upset Magistrate Turner because she would be in front of him again. This solicitor who I have kept in touch with moved firms and relocated to a regional area to practice only recently.

f. Magistrate O’Dwyer from the Federal Circuit Court wins the wooden spoon for having no empathy whatsoever for Family Violence Victims. I have been present (when after an apparent back operation, and appeared to be in extreme pain and medicated) Magistrate O’Dwyer decided that one victim of family violence was, in his words was “stretching the truth”. In this instance the victim and the perpetrator were both self represented. The victim was requesting that she did not attend round table dispute services due to ongoing family violence. Magistrate O’Dwyer stated that the perpetrator in this instance “looked harmless” , “he was only small in stature” and that he “didn’t appear to be the type who would hurt anyone”. I kept in touch with the victim in this instance, and her family violence worker. Approximately three weeks after this court appearance the perpetrator was charged with assaulting the victim in a supermarket car park with an iron bar. Looks can be deceiving Magistrate O’Dwyer.

g. Magistrate O’Sullivan from the Dandenong Federal Circuit Court has been dubbed as the loose cannon of Magistrates. His demonstration of his understanding on Family Violence matters has been known to “change like the wind” as one legal counsel described him as. I have been privy to a number of sittings of Magistrate O’Sullivan in Dandenong, yet I was not present when he was involved in Family Violence cases so I cannot substantiate any previous information obtained from victims of family violence.

4. An expert witness has a duty to act independently and needs to be transparent and professionally accountable for their actions.

a. Family Consultants, like any expert witness (ie psychologist, psychiatrist etc) should be accountable for their report processes and this function should be outsourced from the actual Family Court Building in Melbourne.

Firstly independence is the key. Most Family Consultants are psychologists with professional liability insurance and are accountable like any other professional body. My biggest grievance is with the fact that the Family Court of Melbourne has enabled Family Consultants to be housed inside the court arena. This means that all sorts of families attending family court to see a family consultant is subjecting children and parents to seeing behaviors of others mentioned previously.

Secondly, a senior female Family Consultant, with only a Social Work background has been involved in proceedings time and time again that I believe is not benificial to anyone who has been a victim of Family Violence. One victim, who provided me with copies of her reports demonstrates her bias nature that should be addressed immediately. Another victim provided me with recordings of their interviews with this said consultant, and after reading the reports I was overwhelmed with the discrepancies and unprofessionalism of the Senior Family Consultant. Had she been in private practice a lawsuit would have incurred.

Thirdly, the relationship with this senior Family Consultant and other court staff is unhealthy and bias in nature. She sends other court staff into family court appearances literally as spies. How do I know this? I have been privy to watching some of these staff contacting the said consultant directly after hearings on their mobile phones. As I have spent four years in the court arena I have been privy to watching the same court staff attend matters that she is involved in. Coincidence? I think not. I have also been privy to Michelle Smith, who works on the same floor as the said consultant report back to the Senior Family Consultant in front of another victim. (who relayed the information to me). Another need for cameras in the courtroom.

Fourthly, then there is the relationship with this said Senior Female Family Consultant and a Senior Female Registrar that I have been privy to obtaining from Victims of Family violence evidence of their incestuous relationship. It is deplorable in this day and age that two such senior staff of the Family Court of Australia can wield such unauthorised power. They appear to be judge, jury and executioner. The amount of evidence that I have gathered regarding these two staff have become a focus of fear for the victims of family violence. They have no accountability and seem to be able to influence proceedings. This senior registrar informed a family violence victim not to press charges against her former partner regarding assault, and berated her by yelling and bullying her in front of her ex partner. The victim in this instance recorded the conversation, and upon hearing the conversation I was appalled by the behaviour in question. Another victim received written emails from the same senior registrar that I believe were abusive, insensitive and demeaning.

5. All Court Staff employees should have accountability for their behavior towards others.

In my time of being at the Family Court I have met a lot of genuinely helpful people who are employed at the Court in different types of roles. Yes I have heard the odd disgruntled complaint about one or two staff members, but overall the real complaints I have genuinely heard about have been regarding the senior family consultant and the senior registrar that can basically “make or break” a family violence case. This is a failure of the family court system and should be addressed immediately.

a. A proper complaints process needs to be enforced in a timely manner. I have seen copies of complaints made regarding these two by family violence victims, and eventually they get a rely usually 90 to 120 days after the complaint is made. The reply letters I have seen are basically the same, and possibly come in the standard letter format.

Conclusion

Chief Justice Diana Bryant of the Family Court of Australia has implemented some positive principles and guidelines surrounding family violence, and should be commended for her contribution into addressing this significant issue.

I just hope and pray that the recomendations I suggest to the Family Violence Royal Commssion assists in some further improvement in the implementation of these principles and guidelines.

Catholic Primary School South Melbourne Covers up Child abuse 2015 UPDATE WITH FACTS

According to the Catholic Education Office in Melbourne they have policies surrounding the protection of our children. Yet a number of children are still being abused by the family perpetrator that is going unreported. One child, who had his hand stood on “to pin him down” had three bruised fingers was not reported. The perpetrator admitted to this at Family Court, (after denying it for over 12 months, and the mandatory 12 month period had expired for him to be charged with assault).

Child and family reported sexual abuse by another student at catholic primary school. the child was promised counselling and other services which to this day has never been forthcoming. this happened in 2010.

FACT: FATHER BOB MCQUIRE KNEW ABOUT THE CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE AND ATTEMPTED TO ADVOCATE ON BEHALF OF THE FAMILY IN 2010. HE IS NOT THE BAD GUY HERE. THE SYSTEM IS.

Another child was punched in the face, had swelling, could not eat, and lost a tooth as a result of a blow to the face. This was reported days after the event, and the principal supported the possibility of the incident being an accident.

FACT: SUBPOENED HUMAN SERVICES FILES STATES FRANK SERVELLO SAYING IT WAS PROBABLY AN ACCIDENT

Then the most recent one (all from the same school) a child was hit hard enough to leave swelling and bruising on their thigh, the school called the perpetrator in and spoke to him. They did not even call Human Services as required by mandatory reporting.

FACT: EMAIL TRAIL FROM STUDENT TO TEACHER SITED AND SEEN

This is the same school that a teacher physically manhandled a girl from a classroom in grade three and left marks last year.

FACT: EMAILS TO HEADMASTER REGARDING INCIDENT AND OTHER PARENTS CHILDREN SEEING INCIDENT HAVE BEEN SITED

The headmaster has already written an apology on one occasion to a Victim of Family Violence for yelling and screaming at their children because they did not want to go with the perpetrator home after he threatened to kill their mother in front of them.

FACT: APPOLOGY LETTER CITED. REFERRED TO ALSO IN FAMILY COURT TRANSCRIPTS BY PERPETRATOR FATHER

The same headmaster also had secret meetings with the perpetrator of Family Violence on two occasions without consulting the mother (who was the only person on the enrolement forms). This was May 2012 onwards. He also interacted with the perpetrator via email without consulting the mother. It all came out in Family Court proceedings that the perpetrator had started a smear campaign against the victim at the school, and that the headmaster was supportive of this by keeping the meetings secret and even going so far as consulting with the perpetrators Barrister and Solicitor on a number of occasions. 

FACT: REFERRED TO IN AFFIDAVITS AT FAMILY COURT BY PERPETRATOR. ALSO GIVEN COPIES OF CONFIDENTIAL PAPERWORK BY SCHOOL REFFERRED TO AS WELL. ALSO IN SOLICITORS NOTATIONS PROVIDED TO FAMILY COURT TRIAL.

The father only became registered on the enrollment forms in late 2013. Yet interaction occurred frequently without the mothers consent and/or permission.

Actually she was unaware of most of the said interaction until family court proceedings in 2014.

FACT: REFERRED TO IN AFFIDAVITS AT FAMILY COURT BY PERPETRATOR. 

By the way the perpetrator and the Principal, Mr. Frank Servello know each other personally relatively well. 

FACT: MR SERVELLO HAS A BROTHER WHO ALSO TEACHESIN CATHOLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM. FACT: THIS BROTHER TAUGHT PERPETRATOR.

FACT: ALL THREE, THE TWO SERVELLO BROTHERS AND PERPETRATOR GREW UP IN SAME PART OF MELBOURNE WITH SAME ITALIAN BACKGROUND.

So much for privacy policies. And the headmaster in question? Well he should be named and shamed, Frank Servello. He has his own life coaching business and commenced the bounce back program for bullying in Catholic schools. He is retiring at the end of the year.

FACT: FRANK SERVELLO THREATENED TO SUE PARENT FOR PROVIDING INFORMATION THIS WEEK.

Is this the start of another Royal Commission into Child Abuse in 2033?

According to the Catholic Education office:

 

MANDATORY REPORTING OF CHILD PHYSICAL AND SEXUAL ABUSE

RATIONALE

Mandatory reporting arises from the requirements of the Children, Youth and Families Act 2005 (Vic.) for the protection of children from harm due to physical injury and sexual abuse. School personnel mandated under this Act who, in the course of carrying out their duties, form a reasonable belief that a child is in need of protection from physical injury or sexual abuse, must report that belief and the grounds for it as soon as possible.

This policy assists schools to comply with this requirement and fulfil their responsibilities regarding the welfare and protection of children at risk. This policy complements the guidelines Protecting the safety and wellbeing of children and young people. A joint protocol of the Department of Human Services Child Protection, the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Licensed Children’s Services and Victorian schools (the Protocols).

Preventing Violence before it occurs in Victoria

This is a paper produced by @vichealth and @ourwatch about tackling Family Domestic Violence in Victoria. My only concern is it was first published in 2007, and it is now 2015. Part 1#

Preventing violence before it occurs A framework and background paper to guide the primary prevention of violence against women in Victoria.

In 2004 the Victorian Health Promotion Foundation identified the prevention of violence against women as a priority for action. At that time we knew that violence against women was prevalent (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 1996: 2003), was the most significant risk factor for the health of women aged 15–45 years (VicHealth 2004) and cost the Australian community $8.1 billion per annum (Access Economics 2004).

In light of past achievements in reducing factors which cause ill health, we also knew that the prevention of violence against women, while a daunting proposition, was within our reach.

This report, commissioned by the Victorian Government in 2006, was designed to review international evidence regarding the factors causing violence against women and models of good practice designed to prevent it. An associated aspect of the work was development of an evidence–based framework to support future efforts to prevent violence against women.

The project was supported by a large number of academics and practitioners with expertise in issues pertaining to violence against women and a shared commitment to changing environments, attitudes and behaviours which perpetuate this violence. As a consequence of work conducted through the project it has been confirmed that the prevention of violence against women is not an aspirational goal but, rather, is well within our reach.

We now know that practice in the prevention of violence against women has an evidence base, sound rationale for action and support for development by government, non-government, philanthropic and corporate sectors.

Through work being undertaken by a large number of people from across sectors, momentum in this area is being achieved. We have seen development of legislative, policy and program reform designed not only to improve our responses to those affected by violence but also to prevent its occurrence. We have also seen rapid growth in the number of cross-sector organisations who have integrated a focus on the prevention of violence against women into their core operations, thus creating the critical mass of activity which is fundamental to our success in this area.

Development of safe and supportive environments for all citizens is an integral aspect of a healthy, productive and just society. This report is submitted to the Victorian Government in the hope that it will provide a useful foundation with which to inform future planning to prevent violence against women.

It is also submitted as a seminal report that has the capacity to inform the activity of future governments, and the corporate and non-government sectors.

Men’s use of violence against women is a significant public health issue with serious social, economic and health consequences for women, their families and communities.

In Victoria significant advances have been made to improve assistance to women and children directly affected by this violence.

Communities and agencies across the state have continued their work of decades in providing accommodation, legal advice, information, material aid and social support. Public awareness campaigns have expanded and there is evidence that the great majority of Victorians – 98% of women and 93% of men – identify violence affecting women as a serious problem (VicHealth 2006).

In 2002 the Victorian Government developed its Women’s Safety Strategy, a five-year plan to guide coordinated action across government to reduce the level and fear of violence against women (OWP 2002).

In 2005 some $35.1 million was allocated as part of the government’s Fairer Victoria initiative to implement a plan to reform service system responses to family violence (DPC 2005, 2007; Statewide Steering Committee to Reduce Family Violence 2005).

Such efforts are critical to mitigate the effects of violence, such as depression and homelessness, and to prevent further harm and the escalation of abuse. While it is essential that this work continues there is also increasing awareness of the need for new efforts to prevent violence against women from occurring in the first place.

A commitment to strengthening efforts in prevention is reflected in both the Women’s Safety Strategy and, more recently, the Fairer Victoria initiative (DPC 2005, 2007). While primary prevention of violence is an emerging area of practice worldwide, there is a growing consensus that it is possible to prevent violence against women before it occurs (WHO 2002).

There is also mounting agreement that this problem is too prevalent and its consequences for individuals and communities too great to limit efforts to responding after violence has occurred (WHO 2002). Rather, there is a need to develop a spectrum of prevention responses. This involves building on existing work with affected individuals and families to include strategies to support primary prevention (WHO 2002).

In 2003 the Victorian Health Promotion Foundation (VicHealth) identified violence against women as a priority in its broader program of activity aimed at addressing the preventable causes of poor mental health given the strong evidential link between this form of violence and anxiety, depression and other mental health problems (VicHealth 2004).

VicHealth has placed particular emphasis on strengthening primary prevention responses to this problem, working in partnership with others across a range of sectors and settings.

This has included a project with the Australian Football League (AFL) to engage both elite and community-based football communities in prevention; work with the Victorian research community to improve understanding of the causes and prevention of violence; and a program to support schools, local governments, businesses, and community and non-government organisations to implement primary prevention activity.

In partnership with the Domestic Violence and Incest Resource Centre, support is also being offered to build skills in the primary prevention of violence among personnel working with children and young people. Background In 2006 the Family Violence Interdepartmental Committee, in consultation with the Statewide Steering Committee to Reduce Family Violence, undertook to support the development of a whole-of-government plan to guide activity in the primary prevention of violence against women.

This undertaking was made recognising that while there was a growing momentum of support for primary prevention it was important this was consolidated and sustained through sound evidence-informed policy, coordinated action and appropriate resource allocation.

VicHealth supported the planning process in the first phase, documented in this paper, in the context of a partnership between it and the Victorian Government. It involved the development of a conceptual framework to guide action to prevent violence against women, based on a review of existing research evidence and input from a range of local and national experts.

The framework is designed to provide a sound theoretical and evidence base to develop a statewide, whole-of-government primary prevention plan. It identifies priority strategies, settings and population targets.

It is anticipated that the second phase will draw on the background material developed in this paper and engage a wide range of players from across government and the corporate, community and nongovernment sectors to develop a whole-of-government primary prevention plan for Victoria.

It is also hoped that this paper will be a useful resource for policy and program development personnel involved in planning primary prevention activities in a wider range of contexts.

Rosie Batty Speech at Press Club regarding Family Domestic Violence

I wanted to share this. An amazing addres by Rosie Batty.

Rosie Batty’s address to the National Press Club

JUNE 03 2015 BY ROSIE BATTY, OUR WATCH AMBASSADOR AND FAMILY VIOLENCE ACTIVIST

Ms Batty launches the Our Watch Awards at the National Press Club.

I wish to acknowledge the Ngunnawal people as the traditional owners and custodians of land on which we meet today. I pay my respects to their Elders, past and present, as well as Elders from other communities who may be here today or watching.

I also pay tribute to those of you in the audience today who have worked long and hard to protect women and children from violence, support survivors, and advocate for greater funding and action to address this critical issue.

You all know my story. Just over a year ago, my son Luke was murdered by my estranged partner. 

The day Luke was murdered I crashed in my bedroom and woke the next day to people discussing that there was media outside and I should be protected from them.

As I’ve always been independent, you would be right in assuming that I didn’t like that one bit. 

I was initially going to tell you all to go away, but soon realised the opportunity I had to name family violence, highlight its prevalence and tell the nation that something must be done.

At the time I didn’t think I’d said anything unusual, I was more worried that I had embarrassed myself and my friends and family by proxy.

Journalists were shocked by-in-large that I was so unequivocal about framing Luke’s murder in the context of family violence.

Everyone expected me to play the crying victim.

In this respect, I compare my story to that of Lindy Chamberlain and am grateful for how different our journeys have been. 

She too, was outspoken from the very beginning which shocked media and the public. 
But in her case this led to eight years in jail. 

This was a result of victim blaming, the nature of which still exists in both society and the media, but something from which I have largely been immune — unlike many other survivors. 

Also, as I was so open with journalists, they didn’t try to fill in gaps in the story, which meant a platform of mutual respect was established in the beginning.

This respect has made a big difference in my journey with you, not only because family violence now seemed a worthy topic to report on, but because the respect broke down barriers between us and even enabled journalists to share their stories of family violence with me – reinforcing how prevalent the issue is.

Since my first encounter talking about violence against women and their children with the media, I haven’t really stopped. 

Many of you in the media gave me a platform to raise this issue up the national agenda, and you demonstrated your power in helping shift the national conversation.

You showed what we can do together, if we are brave enough to tell stories like mine, and those of far too many women and children in Australia. 

Many other survivors of violence are in the room today, some of whose names you will be familiar with through no want of their own.

I would especially like to acknowledge Ann O’Neill, Rebecca Poulson and Michael Costigan. Thank you for coming today, as the Costigan family says, ‘Together we are strong’.

You in the media aren’t just telling my story, you are telling the story of 1 in 6 women in Australia who are affected by intimate partner violence. You’re telling the story of the children who witnessed this violence, as over half of these women had children in their care when the violence occurred.

The number of articles devoted to the issue of violence against women currently exceeds anything we have ever seen before.

Frontline services who often felt frustrated by the lack ofmedia attention regarding what was happening ‘behind closed doors’ are telling me the same thing.

Ken Lay, my colleague on the COAG advisory committee and a former Victorian Police Commissioner, and Natasha Stott Despoja, Chair of Our Watch shared this stage in 18 months ago.

At the time, Ken said that for ‘many years violence against women has been one of Australia’s filthy little secrets’ and Natasha called it a ‘national emergency’ in Australia.

It is both.

• 1 in 3 Australian women has encountered some form of violence
• 1 in 5 of us has experienced sexual assault

Statistics often wash over people, so let’s reframe them: 

• If this room was full of women, at least 50 would have experienced sexual assault.
• If you have 3 sisters or 3 daughters, one of them will encounter violence. 
• If you work with at least 6 women, one of them has experienced violence by a current or former partner.

Today, I ask you what we do now that the story of violence against women is finally out of the shadows and into the spotlight?

How can we take this opportunity and really explore what is driving this violence, and what we can do to stop it before it starts?

I’m here today in my role as Our Watch Ambassador to talk about preventing violence and how we can make the most effective use of the media spotlight to bring about real change.

Research suggests that news coverage influences both public policy and public opinion on topics such as gender based violence.

A recent study in the US indicated that exposure to news articles endorsing victim blaming rape myths, makes people far more likely to side with a perpetrator and dismiss a woman’s claims of sexual assault.

We tend to focus, sometimes in a sensationalistic way, on the details of individual acts of violence, without joining the dots to a culture of gender based violence.

Upcoming University of Melbourne research looking at media representations of violence, commissioned with ANROWS and Our Watch, will tell us more.

In a space all too often dominated by unspeakable individual tragedies, I challenge the media to continue to work with us to bring about change, and I want to look ahead to an opportunity to celebrate change. But more on that later.

So, in my year in the spotlight, what have I seen?

I have seen great reporting that has shone a light on this important social issue.

My experience with the media has been largely positive, I must give credit where credit is due – thank you.
There is a lot we can and should celebrate.

Unfortunately though, it hasn’t been all good.

For me, the coronial inquest and the horrifying victim blaming that it brought to the fore, really enabled us to see victim blaming for what it was: a misguided and damaging narrative.

We have work to do if we are going to tackle the attitudes and beliefs that give rise to this violence:

She was drunk.
She was wearing headphones.
Why didn’t she just leave?
She must have provoked him.
Why didn’t she take her children out of such a violent situation?

These are just some of the assertions that blame survivors for the violence inflicted upon them.

Geoff Hunt, who murdered his wife, Kim, and three children, Fletcher, Mia and Phoebe, in rural New South Wales last year and then committed suicide was overwhelmingly sympathised with in articles that followed.

They emphasised the perceived “burden” of looking after his wife following a serious brain injury from a car accident and gave weight to quotes which described him as a “nice man” who “loved his family”.

News flash – nice men who love their family don’t control or murder them.

I’ve also seen atrocious headlines that openly disrespect victims, ‘Monster Chef and the She-Male’ and ‘Bride and Seek’ spring to mind.

This is frustrating for everyone, particularly survivors.

Challenging ignorant victim blaming like I did with Joe Hildebrand on Studio 10 last year, which, if you remember, made me a tad angry, must be something we all do. Perpetrators must be held accountable for their actions. Women are not to blame.

The other thing I have noticed, is that many panels on the TV or radio lack family violence experts, and therefore merely produce ill-informed triviality.

Depth of reporting is integral to family violence reporting which is why I chose Four Corners over shows that just sensationally skim the surface.

Just think of what we could all achieve when we work in collaboration with specialists. You’ll attract viewers/readers with informed stories, not just with shiny stories that dwell on human tragedy and sensationalism to draw an audience for the purpose of the advertising dollar.

If we want to create real change – and I truly believe many in the Australian media and much of the Australian public do, we need to see this sustained in a more informed media commentary. The stories we tell ourselves about ourselves are hugely important.

The media have an important role to play in helping shape attitudes, perceptions and knowledge that give rise to a culture of silence or minimise violence against women and their children.

And According to VicHealth’s latest attitudes survey, a significant proportion of Australians still excuse, trivialise or justify violence against women:

A growing number of Australians think that a victim is at least partially to blame for incidents of domestic and sexual violence.

And one in six think that women who say ‘no’ to sex, really mean ‘yes’.

Attitudes among young people are particularly bad. According to recent research commissioned by Our Watch:

• One in four young men believe that controlling and violent behaviours are signs of male strength.
• One in six 12-24 year olds believes ‘women should know their place.’

If we want to tackle this violence, to ‘stop it before it starts’ we need to tackle these attitudes and beliefs.

At the very least, please don’t re-inforce them.

The media has a great opportunity to help do this and bring about positive change.

A great example of this is Mindframe’s work in highlighting how reporting of suicide directly affects the amount of people who commit suicide, and how they carry it out. Reporting guidelines and links to Life Line and Beyond Blue are now widely used to great effect.

We must do more to help women and their children currently in crisis.

According to VicHealth, one third of women in the general community don’t know where to go for outside help to support someone suffering domestic violence.

This directly correlates to the lack of information about appropriate services published in articles about family violence.

Only 8% of articles mentioning domestic violence have included references to 1800RESPECT since the start of the year, according to the media monitoring platform Meltwater.

I challenge every single media outlet to include links to services such as 1800 RESPECT so that women reading know where to get help.

With small changes such as these, the media has the power to help many women and their children get much needed support and assistance, and to ensure that their stories aren’t lost.

We can work to change the culture that has seen, according to media reports, 41 women murdered in 2015 alone.

Australia is full of wonderful journalists, many of whom I’ve had the pleasure of working with.

In this dark space, we want to shine a light on the positive change happening here and celebrate you and the great work you do.

Overall, improved media reporting can deepen the understanding of what is driving this violence and what it takes to prevent it.

And we can prevent it.

To recognise and reward some the fantastic reporting that already exists about violence against women and to encourage other journalists and media outlets to follow suit, I am very excited to announce the launch of the Our Watch Media Awards, which we are proud to say will be administered by the Walkley Foundation. I would like to acknowledge Jacqui Park, the CEO of the Walkley Foundation, who is here in the audience today.

The inaugural awards are made possible with the generous support and funding from the Federal Government.

The awards will build on the approach and success of Domestic Violence Victoria’s Victorian-based Eliminating Violence against Women Media Awards (EVAs), which are widely considered to have had a significant impact on transforming media reporting in Victoria

I officially announce the Our Watch Media Awards open for nominations.

More information about the award categories can be found on the Walkley Foundation website and winners will be announced in September this year.

I ask you, the Australian media, to join me preventing violence against women and their children. And I invite you, the Australian public watching today, to continue to join in the national conversation we started just over a year ago. Together, we can stop it before it starts.

I look forward to celebrating excellence and change in September.

Thank you.

Media contact

For enquiries or further information: Hannah Grant, Our Watch, mobile 0448 844 930, email Hannah.Grant@ourwatch.org.au

*If you cover this story, or any story regarding violence against women and children, please include the following tagline:“If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault, domestic or family violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit 1800RESPECT.org.au. In an emergency, call 000. For more information about a service in your state or local area download the DAISY App in the App Store or Google Play.”

About Our Watch

Our Watch’s (previously the Foundation to Prevent Violence against Women and their Children) purpose is to raise awareness and engage the community in action to prevent violence against women and their children.

Our Watch was conceived of and brought into existence in 2013 by the Commonwealth of Australia and the State of Victoria. The Northern Territory, South Australian and Tasmanian governments have also since become members of the organisation.

Our Watch’s work derives from the government’s commitment to the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children 2010 – 2022 and gives expression to many of the activities in the Second Action Plan 2013–2016 – Moving Ahead.