Stronger DFV Protections - Speech to Parliament

DOMESTIC AND FAMILY VIOLENCE PROTECTION AND OTHER LEGISLATION AMENDMENT BILL - Video link content from 3h 18s
Hon. AJ CAMM (Whitsunday—LNP) (Minister for Families, Seniors and Disability Services and Minister for Child Safety and the Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence) (5.00 pm), in reply:

I acknowledge and thank all honourable members for their contribution to the debate of this bill. We have heard a lot in this House over the last day and a half about the evidence of experts. Today outside the House we heard from victims and advocates, and I consider them experts in lived experience.

Hannah Clarke and her children were brutally murdered in an horrific domestic and family violence incident. Her parents, Sue and Lloyd, who have been visitors to this House for many years, have shown incredible courage to become advocates for victims of domestic and family violence. They stood with me and the Minister for Police this morning.

Lloyd said—
We welcome these new laws coming in. We really think the trackers and the police protection directions will actually put the onus back on to the perpetrator and keep the victim safer. Hannah had a good experience with the Police, and if these laws would have been in then, hopefully her and her kids would have been saved.

Sue said—
The fact that the police can take out the protection order I think makes a huge difference. Hannah had it taken out of her hands and the police put the protection order out for her, and she felt safer. She felt, had she done it, her life would have been threatened much sooner. There’s repercussions on the woman for taking out protection orders. When it’s out of their hands, I think it works much safer, and we’re thrilled to be here on such a landmark day.

Carolyn Robinson from BeyondDV works with victim-survivors of domestic and family violence every single day. She has a daughter who went through horrific acts of violence and knows how insidious it is in our communities. Today she joined us and said—

I work with victim-survivors every single day—hundreds of them. I think that these moves will be very welcome by victim-survivors. To know now, with the orders being able to be put in place immediately, it means we will be freeing up police so that they can come and support victims as soon as possible. It will make a difference, in my opinion. Knowing that the GPS trackers will be available for perpetrators … also gives myself and others a great sense of comfort. I don’t see any negatives with what we are doing with these measures.

Jess is a victim-survivor of domestic and family abuse. Her former partner has recently been jailed. She said—

After eight to 10 years of plain torture in my home, it’s a very emotional day and all of this stuff is really exciting—really, really exciting. I see no negatives here. I see all positives. The trackers themselves will impact me greatly. When the perpetrator in my instance will be released on parole at some stage, he will hopefully be given one of these trackers, and I won’t be having to look over my shoulder. The police protection orders take that vulnerability away from us. It takes it off our shoulders as victims ... you feel like you can’t do that yourself, and they will blame you and put you in a much unsafer environment. Thank you. Thank you for the change and for hearing us. I feel very heard today as a victim-survivor.

We had our suspicions, but the last day and a half has confirmed it: the Labor Party does not trust the Queensland Police. I have never seen a group of people denigrate the Queensland Police Service more than I have in the last day and a half. At the start of every single speech the Labor Party paid lip-service to the Queensland Police Service before proceeding to use the rest of their speech to say how terrible they are at performing their job policing domestic and family violence.

Police are on the front line every single day. They are called to 500 domestic violence incidents every single day. Recognising their work, their efforts and their expertise does not take anything away from important frontline specialised domestic violence services, which quite often deal with DV from nine to five, five days a week—not 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Working together is the expectation of victims. It is the expectation of me as the minister. It is the expectation of this government and of all Queenslanders. The real risk right now is that police are not able to get to the next victim. I have heard that time and time again from the front line.

To be very clear, the Labor Party quoted figures suggesting that 30 per cent of respondents in DFV matters are women. What they did not say is that this figure includes more than just intimate partner domestic and family violence. It includes elder and carer abuse and other family violence matters. The notes also state that figures are not a unique respondent count and that respondents may be counted multiple times.

If the opposition had asked a question specific to intimate partner relationships, they would have known that only 11.36 per cent of the time is a female recorded as a respondent. In every one of those cases, a gender-centred review was undertaken to ensure officers correctly identified the person most in need of protection.

The latest figures show that 97 per cent of police protection notices have been upheld by the courts. This is the statistic that should have been quoted—not one used to slander the hardworking men and women of the Queensland Police Service.

The safety of victim-survivors is central to this government’s commitment. That is why we are implementing comprehensive reforms through this bill, alongside increased support services including improved performance of DVConnect and the establishment of a new North Queensland DV crisis line, which will double statewide capacity.

We are delivering innovation through electronic monitoring pilots, supported by partnerships across portfolios. We are also committed to meeting the needs of diverse communities, including funding to support LGBTIQ+ victim-survivors and engagement with First Nations women.

The bill establishes Police Protection Directions as an additional tool, providing immediate protection for up to 12 months without requiring victims to initiate court proceedings. Safeguards, review mechanisms and exclusions are in place to mitigate misidentification risks.

In concluding, I thank victim-survivors for their courage, frontline workers for their dedication, community organisations for their advocacy, and public servants for their work in developing this bill.

I finish by acknowledging my mother, a victim-survivor herself. The intervention of Queensland Police gave her the opportunity for a different life. I will always back the Queensland Police Service in protecting victim-survivors. This government will always stand up for victims.

I commend this bill to the House.