Turnbull's response to domestic violence ignores the evidence

The official response to DV in recent decades has supported measures such as funding refuges for battered wives, and enabling court orders that seek to keep violent ex-partners at bay.   These measures have worked only to a very limited degree.  We are also exposed to regular advertising campaigns, showing violent men bashing their wives (never the reverse), and there are annual street marches protesting violence against women.  Such exercises manage to capture attention but seem to do little else beyond stereotyping men as perpetrators and women as victims.

Large additional sums of money are now being thrown at the problem, despite past programmes appearing to have largely failed, and many people believing the new policies are just another waste of public money (our taxes). 

The latest plan involves the Commonwealth spending $100 million on such things as handing out mobile phones to women fleeing domestic violence (supposedly to help them escape ongoing abuse).  $36.5 million will also be spent over three years providing more training for police, social workers and emergency staff to better support women.  There will also be training for hospital staff to recognise the signs of domestic violence, as well as a duty lawyer at selected hospitals to provide legal assistance.  The Government will also move to put in place GPS tracking technology "to monitor abusers" and provide safety buttons for women, so they can call for help.  The Safer Schools website will also be expanded at a cost of $5 million, to teach about respectful relationships.

In my view the measures planned will make little difference in an environment, where victims are reluctant to report abusive partners to police and are reluctant to leave dysfunctional relationships.  A very basic problem also is that it is very difficult to prevent a crime that has not yet happened without unacceptable implications for civil liberties and for the principle of innocence until proven guilty.

In my view the government could do a lot to help reduce domestic violence by more directly targeting likely classes of perpetrators and DV hotspots.

1. Rather than tarring all men with the DV brush, society should be far stricter in punishing those guilty of any crime against the person.  It is hypocritical to condemn men that bash their wives, and simultaneously treat many serious assaults outside the home with a mere "rap over the knuckles".  Unprovoked violence against anyone is unacceptable full stop, and penalties should be relatively more severe than current practice.
2. There needs to be a Violent Offenders Register equivalent to the one that exists for sexual offenders.  Such information should be provided to intending spouses, and persons with a history of violence should lose the right to sponsor a fiancé visa.
3. There needs to be recognition that policies against DV need to be targeted.  The mentally ill, substance abusers and Indigenous families require special assistance measures, and a balance between civil liberties, equal rights, and the rights of victims needs to be struck.
4. It needs to be accepted that some people (both male and female) simply can't be lived with, and that separation may be the only option to avoid violence.
5. Some help could be provided to those at risk of perpetrating violence, particularly those affected by adverse Family Court decisions.  Separation can be devastating for many men, and a small minority are prone to striking out violently. 

Finally, it needs to be recognised that apparent quick fixes, like GPS bracelets (which are easily removed) for those subject to DVOs, can be easily overcome, and that no court order (no matter how severe its backup penalties) will prevent a determined offender from attacking their current or former partner. 

Separation is devastating for violent men, who respond with helplessness, manipulative pursuit techniques, and sometimes suicide threats. Perpetrators rarely seek help, even in crisis. When they do attend self-help or counselling sessions, the immediate goal is getting their wives back, not finding out how they can address their own problem.