Submission

SHE commends the Tasmanian Government’s commitment to addressing the issues affecting women
and girls in Tasmania. We welcome the opportunity to contribute to the development of the
Women’s Strategy to address the inequality experienced by women and girls in Tasmania.

This submission is SHE’s response to the call for ideas by the Department of Premier and Cabinet (DPAC) regarding the Tasmanian Family Violence Action Plan. SHE would like to thank the Department of Premier and Cabinet for allowing us to present our ideas about how the Tasmanian Family Violence Action Plan can best work to address domestic and family violence in the Tasmanian community. We are appreciative of the opportunity to make suggestions for the Action Plan, although we have some concern about the limited timeframe of two weeks for making submissions. We believe that more time is needed for all stakeholders to have the opportunity to take part in this discussion with particular emphasis given to people with lived experience of violence, both victims and perpetrators.

Domestic/family violence is a complex and serious social problem which affects individuals, families, communities, the workplace and the economy. SHE is concerned that changes to the welfare system coupled with cutting back relevant support services will ultimately lead to an increase of domestic violence and abuse. SHE would like to thank the Reference Group for allowing us to present our submission to the Review of Australia’s Welfare System.

Reproductive coercion is one of many tactics that may be used by a perpetrator of intimate partner violence to maintain control over the victim.

SHE recommends community education to raise awareness of reproductive coercion and of services available to help people who are experiencing such coercion, as well as the development and promotion of professional training and resources to help improve the ability of doctors, social workers and other professionals to assess and support women and girls who have experienced reproductive coercion.

Engender Equality is a highly specialised service provider that helps people of all genders through experiences of family violence, and seeks to provide training, advocacy opportunities, and contribute to the conversation around the prevention of family violence and gender inequality. Engender Equality is an accredited Our Watch training provider, and has run training on the national framework for the prevention of violence against women, Change the Story.

It is because of Engender Equality’s specialisation in primary prevention of violence against women that the organisation opposes aspects of the Religious Freedom Reforms. It is Engender Equality’s belief that the proposed legislative changes will undermine the national primary prevention framework and allow for individuals and groups to condone gendered violence (directly and indirectly), and impact negatively upon our ability to affect change for our service users. Engender Equality recommends, in particular, the exemption to Tasmania’s Anti-Discrimination Act 1998 Section 17(1) be removed from the proposed legislation.

SHE would like to thank the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal affairs for the opportunity to provide a submission to address the Parliamentary Inquiry into the Child Support Program. SHE endorses the submissions made by Hobart Women’s Health Centre, the National Council of Women of Tasmania, Women’s Legal Services Australia, WIRE Women’s Information, and the National Council of Single Mothers and their Children, particularly the Hobart Branch.

Given Engender Equality’s specialisation in working with women and families who have experienced family violence, this submission is primarily focused on their specific experiences. People who have experienced abuse are often significantly disempowered, and may not be able to engage in the kind of community participation that is necessary to ensure that their voices are heard and their concerns addressed. The Inquiry’s call for submissions is an excellent opportunity for organisations to advocate on their behalf. Therefore, we believe it is our role to address the specific issues that are faced by women and children who are disproportionately disadvantaged because of current and historical family violence and gender inequality.

Submission to the Parliamentary Inquiry – Senate Finance and Public Administration Committee – Submission to the Inquiry into Domestic Violence in Australia 2014

The experience of family violence in childhood can have profound negative impacts that resonate across the lifespan and even intergenerational impacts (Courtois, Ford, & Cloitre, M, 2009).

The vast 1 majority of family violence is committed by men against women (ABS, 2012). Children are very often present during family violence incidents (ABS, 2012). Family violence is recognised as a form of child abuse according to the Children Young Persons and their Families Act 1997:

“Children are exposed to family violence if they: see or hear an incident of family violence; help to clean up after an incident of family violence; or comfort or assist a family member after an incident of family violence”

In the context of this submission, we note that our clients frequently seek SHE services to support them through the legal process; assistance that is in addition addressing the experience violence and abuse itself. It is also our experience that the legal response can fail to adequately address the severity of the violence, the impact on children and the ongoing effects of trauma. Our clients often express their inability to create a sense of safe environment in which to live and recover from the effects of a perpetrators coercion, control and violence.