Family Violence Reform: The Whole Package
VIC Family Violence Justice Reform Campaign
What Do We Want?
Reform of the justice system’s response to family violence – the current system is not working.
In March, 2006 the Victorian Law Reform Commission released a Review of Family Violence Laws Report which made 153 recommendations for reform of family violence laws and policy and procedure. We want the Government to comprehensively implement these recommendations to improve the system for Victorian families.
How Do We Get It?
We are working with the Department of Justice which is considering the recommendations and we will continue to encourage them to explore various options for implementation. However, we need support from Government to ensure that funds are set aside to cover the costs of implementation.
Before the election in 2006 we wrote to every Victorian Member of Parliament asking that they support implementation and advocate for this position to be reflected in their Party’s policies and election promises. The major parties gave in-principle support to full implementation.
We need your help in raising the awareness of all MPs. The more letters, phone calls and visits they receive, the more seriously they will take this issue.
Who is Involved in the Campaign?
The Campaign is coordinated by Domestic Violence Victoria, peak body for 43 women’s domestic violence services, and the Federation of Community Legal Services (Vic) Inc, peak body for 51 community legal services.
Campaign participants include many individual women who have experienced family violence as well as organisations including the Victorian Council of Social Service, the Women’s Electoral Lobby of Victoria, No to Violence Male Family Violence Prevention Association, Amnesty International Australia and Victorian Women with Disabilities Network.
How Can I Help to Get Justice for Families Affected by Violence?
Whether you are an individual woman who has experienced family violence or you are from an organization concerned with this issue, you have a vital role to play in getting support from MPs for implementation of the recommendations.
If you are an individual, your experience and commitment to changing the system for the benefit of others makes you a powerful force for change. You don’t have to be an expert or know a lot of specialist detail about the law or the courts. Your views as a member of the community and particularly, as someone who has experienced or worked with family violence, are important. Don’t underestimate the difference you can make by writing a letter or talking to your local MP!
You can request a meeting with you local MP, or do this in conjunction with staff of a local legal centre or women’s domestic violence service. Or, you might want to send a letter to your MP using the template we provide here.
If you represent an organization or have links to an organization with an interest in this area, you can help by distributing this Campaign Package through your networks and featuring information about the Campaign on your website. Don’t forget to do your bit also by making contact with MPs yourself.
What Can I Do Now?
Individuals
· Contact either your local MP, or one of the list of targeted MPs, or both. You can do this by writing your own letter or by adding your words to the template we’ve provided. It is very important that the targeted MPs (who have portfolios that cover the areas affected by reform) receive lots of contact. If you are in an electorate of a targeted MP, please make a special effort to contact them.
· A visit is the most effective way to communicate with MPs. You can do this with others if you are more comfortable with this. If you want to arrange a visit to an MP with staff of your local legal or women’s domestic violence service, please call or email Catherine Plunkett at the Federation of Community Legal Centres (Vic) Inc Ph. 9654 2204 and she will organise this.
· If you have any questions or want to discuss any of this don’t hesitate to contact Catherine.
Organisations
· As an individual you can contact either your local MP, or one of the list of targeted MPs, or both. You can do this by writing a letter using our template or your own words. It is very important that the targeted MPs (who have portfolios that cover the areas affected by reform) receive lots of contact. If you are in an electorate of a targeted MP, please make a special effort to contact them.
· Your organization can publicise the Campaign by distributing the material contained in this email throughout your networks. If your organistion has a website, you can post a copy of this document, post a hyper-link to the Community Law website or post the Community Law website address and a description of the Campaign.
· If you are a service provider, you can encourage clients of your service who have experienced family violence to participate in the Campaign by giving them this information, offering them help with writing letters to MPs and/or inviting them to attend a meeting with your local MP. Many women who have experienced family violence want to help others and participating in awareness-raising activities can be empowering for them and very effective in getting the message across.
Campaign Messages
These are the key messages of our Campaign and can be used to inform your contact with MPs.
· The Cost of Family Violence in Victoria:
- According to the Victorian Health Report (2004), family violence is the most common cause of death, disability and illness in Victorian women under the age of forty-five.
- Access Economics reported in 2004 that the cost of family violence to the Victorian economy was $2 billion over a twelve month period.
· The current system is not working and reform is long overdue. The Review of Family Violence Laws Report calls for extensive reform of legislation, practice and policy to improve the justice systems response to family violence.
· We are seeking support for comprehensive implementation of the Report’s recommendations
A comprehensive approach to implementation is essential to maintaining the integrity of the recommendations. A piecemeal approach would undermine the cohesive vision for systemic reform outlined in the Report.
· We seek the following assurances from each Member of Parliament:
That the (Labor/Liberal/National/Greens) Party commits to comprehensive implementation of the recommendations contained in the Review of Family Violence Laws Report and demonstrates this commitment in its policy positions; and
That within the framework of a comprehensive approach to implementation, a staged approach is adopted only with the release of relevant timelines and funding allocations.
When addressing Labor MPs:
· Acknowledge that the Labor Government committed funds in the 2005 budget to establishing an integrated service system for family violence and has committed funds to the implementation of some recommendations from the Report, but point out that this will not produce results without a coherent and effective legislative and justice policy framework.
Tips for Writing Letters to MPs
· Personalised letters are much more effective than form letters. If you use the template we have provided (see last page of this kit), try to write some of it in your own words. Include information about yourself, your personal experience of family violence or your work in this area.
· Notify Catherine Plunkett Ph. 9654 2204 or email when you send a letter to allow the Campaign Coordinators can keep track of how many letters are sent to each MP.
Tips for Meeting with MPs
· Contact the MPs office by phone or in person (contact details are listed below), introduce yourself, explain that live in the electorate and would like to meet with the Member to discuss your concerns about the justice system’s response to family violence. Remember that you are entitled to a meeting with your local Member.
· You can contact Catherine Plunkett Ph. 9654 2204 or email if you wish to ask questions about this issue or want help preparing for a meeting. You don not need to be an expert to make an impact at the meeting; personal experience, passion and a commitment to reform have a powerful impact. Copies of the Review of Family Laws Report or its Summary are available from the Victorian Law Reform Commission Ph. 8619 8619 or email or www.lawreform.vic.gov.au.
· At the start of the meeting, shake hands, make eye contact, introduce yourself and remind the Member that you are there to discuss the Report and the implementation of its recommendations. Cover the points listed here under ‘Campaign Messages’ and be very clear about what you want the Member and their Party to do about it.
Relax, and be pleasant and polite. The meeting will probably last no more than10-15 minutes. At the end of the meeting, thank the Member for their time and invite them to contact you again if they wish.
· If you agree to provide any further information or to follow-up in any way, be sure to do this. Phone the electorate office a week or two after the meeting and enquire about what action the Member has taken on the issue.
Who is My Local MP and How Do I Contact Them
The following website provides links to find your electorate MP and their contact details: http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/mps.html
If you don’t have access to email you can contact Catherine Plunkett Ph. 9654 2204 or email for help in identifying your local MP.
Targeted MPs
These MPs have portfolios that are affected by the recommendations, consequently they have a particular interest in this issue and have influence over budget-setting which is a major factor in determining whether the recommendations are implemented. The Campaign Coordinators have already written to these and every other Victorian MP and are seeking meetings with them. We urge you to contact them also.
They are:
Mr Peter Wynne, Minister of Housing, Richmond Electorate
The Hon. John Thwaites, Deputy Premier, Albert Park Electorate
The Hon. Bob Cameron, Minister of Police, Bendigo West Electorate
The Hon. Rob Hulls, Attorney General, Niddrie Electorate
The Hon. Gavin Jennings, Minister for Community Services and Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, South Eastern Metropolitan Regin Electorate.
The Hon. Jacinta Allan, Minister for Women’s Affairs, Bendigo East Electorate
Ms Lisa Neville, Minister for Children, Bellarine Electorate
The Hon. Steve Bracks, Premier, Williamstown Electorate
Mr Ted Baillieu, Leader of the Opposition, Hawthorn Electorate
Mr Peter Ryan, Leader of the Nationals, Gippsland South Electorate
Mr Robert Clark, Shadow Attorney General, Box Hill Electorate
The Hon. Wendy Lovell, Shadow Minister for Women’s Affairs and Shadow Minister for Housing, North Eastern Electorate
The Hon. Andrea Coote, Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Children, Shadow Minister for Community Services, and Shadow Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Monash Electorate
Mr Andrew McIntosh, Shadow Minister for Police, Kew Electorate
Mr Kim Wells, Shadow Minister for Police, Scoresby Electorate
For More Information
Contact Catherine Plunkett at the Federation of Community Legal Centres (Vic) Inc Ph. 9654 2204 or email or go to the Federations website at www.communitylaw.org.au
Sample Letter for Members of Parliament
Date
Senders name
Senders address
Mr/Ms/The Honorable …..
MP’s address
Dear Minister,
I/We am/are writing to urge your support for implementation of the recommendations made in the Review of Family Violence Laws Report which was released by the Victorian Law Reform Commission in March, 2006. The Report calls for extensive reform of legislation, practice and policy to improve the justice systems response to family violence.
(Include your personal story here if you are writing as an individual; your experience of family violence and how it affected you, including your experience with the intervention order system. N.B Your experience of the Intervention Order system is important here, but not the criminal justice system or the family law system that deals with issues of child custody and access because the Report does not cover these areas of law. Workers in services can include their professional background and their experience of the Intervention Order system and its effect on those who seek protection.)
Reform is long overdue and the current system is clearly not working. The Victorian Health Report found in 2004 that family violence was the most common cause of death, disability and illness in Victorian women under the age of forty-five. In the same year, family violence cost the Victorian economy $2 billion over a twelve month period.
(For Labor MPs: The Labor Government has previously shown a commitment to addressing the issue family violence and has announced funding for the implementation of some recommendations in the Report however work in this area must be underpinned by a coherent and effective legislative and justice policy framework as outlined in the Report.) The current system does not reflect current understanding of the dynamics of family violence, lacks credibility with those who seek protection and is inaccessible to many families.
I request that you actively support the implementation of the Report’s recommendations and seek a formal commitment from the (Labor/Liberal/National/Greens) Party to comprehensive implementation that is reflected in the Party’s policy positions.
(I also request a meeting with you at the earliest opportunity to discuss this issue further. Please contact me by phoning 000000 or by email to arrange a meeting time.)
Yours sincerely,