SUBMISSION

Inquiry into family violence orders: House of Representatives Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs

ANROWS provided a submission to support a review into how the family law system can improve outcomes for victims and survivors seeking to obtain and enforce family violence orders.

This submission draws on our evidence base to highlight the need for the family law system to:

• address barriers for victims and survivors to obtain and enforce family violence orders, including by:
  • • • • ensuring people working in the family law system are trained and resourced to engage with victims and survivors appropriately
        • improving referral processes to connect victims and survivors with specialist services
• address the risk of escalation or perpetration of abuse during court proceedings, including by:
  • • • • evaluating and enhancing existing mechanisms to screen for, monitor and respond to heightened risk of DFSV
        • ensuring judicial officers and other court staff are skilled in identifying and responding to tactics of legal systems abuse
        • monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of the recent legislative amendments under the Family Law Act 1975 (Cth) pertaining to parenting orders where DFSV is present
• improve capacity to respond to DFSV, including by:
  • • • • investing in the development, implementation and evaluation of evidence-informed legal training and capacity building
• implementing partnerships between the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (FCFCoA) and relevant community-based services that work with people with lived expertise
  • • • • exploring new or existing mechanisms to coordinate resources at a national level.

The submission will be of interest to people working on policy, practice or research related to victims and survivors of DFSV obtaining and enforcing FVOs while also navigating the family law system.

Although this inquiry is focused on measures within the FCFCoA, the evidence about family violence orders is applicable across jurisdictions where these orders are made.

 

Suggested citation

Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety. (2024) Inquiry into family violence orders [Submission]. ANROWS.