Queensland government vows to do more to help children of murdered parents
|
Version 0 of 1. Need to improve support given to families was key recommendation in family violence deaths report The emotional toll on children affected by domestic homicide will be better managed in Queensland as part of major reforms aimed at ending violence against women and girls. A need to improve the support given to families, particularly children, was a key recommendation in a report exploring domestic and family violence deaths in the state. The attorney general, Shannon Fentiman, has committed to do better in response to the Domestic and Family Violence Death Review Board’s findings. “We will be undertaking targeted consultation with services who support victims of homicide … as well as people with lived experience, to shape how we can improve our response to loved ones of (domestic and family violence) homicide victims,” Fentiman said on Wednesday. All six of the report’s recommendations were either accepted or accepted in principle, with the remaining five aligning closely with work done by the Women’s Safety and Justice Taskforce. The taskforce was established in March 2021, with the government accepting the 89 recommendations contained in its first report. Among them was making coercive control a criminal offence. In its final report, released last week, another 188 recommendations were made to improve treatment in the criminal justice system. The premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, said those recommendations will be considered by state cabinet soon. “It is, I believe, the most comprehensive report of its kind ever to be undertaken in Australia,” she said on Friday. Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning The commitment comes as the state announces a new specialist domestic and family violence court to be established in the far north. “With one of the busiest magistrates courts in Queensland, which deals with a high volume of DFV matters, Cairns will benefit from this specialist court,” Barron River MP Craig Crawford said. “In 2020-21, the court dealt with more than 1,200 applications for domestic violence orders and more than 1,400 charges of contravening a domestic violence order.” The specialist courts were first trialled in 2015 and now operate in Southport, Beenleigh, Townsville, Mount Isa and Palm Island. Measures include dedicated magistrates, specialised duty lawyers and prosecutors, and more support services, Fentiman said. |