Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence

Ms CLANCY (Elder) (14:54): My question is to the Minister for Women and the Prevention of Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence. How is the government working to address the behaviour of those who perpetrate family, domestic and sexual violence?

The Hon. K.A. HILDYARD (Reynell—Minister for Child Protection, Minister for Women and the Prevention of Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing) (14:54): Thank you very much to the member for this really important question and for her ongoing enduring commitment to helping to prevent and end the horrific prevalence of domestic, family and sexual violence. Our government is absolutely committed to doing all that we can to help tackle the horror of domestic, family and sexual violence. A critical part of effectively intervening and preventing violence is to provide support to perpetrators to recognise and change their attitudes and behaviour. Put simply, we need men to stop using violence in their relationships.

I am really proud that our state government is collaboratively working with the commonwealth government to invest in innovative perpetrator programs that help men to do so. Through the commonwealth Innovative Perpetrator Response program, South Australia is undertaking another three projects, utilising funding of up to $3.4 million. We know that this work is urgent because, for every respectful relationship education program that we run, there are individuals and groups online promoting harmful attitudes towards women, individuals and groups that seek to undo our work towards change and that inflame misogyny.

I am proud to inform the house that this funding will be directed towards those three programs that will improve women's safety through helping boys and men to stop using abhorrent violence in their relationships. These projects include an additional mentoring component to complement the ongoing KIND program, which provides therapeutic intervention for adolescents who use violence in their relationships. Implementing a male mentor through the KIND program is intended to extend learning beyond the therapeutic sessions and integrate it into the community and home.

The two other funded projects include one led by OARS Community Transitions to research and inform the development of new technology to complement existing perpetrator services and allow for additional reinforcement of behaviour change and/or safety planning. The aim of this technology is to establish ongoing accountability for perpetrators. The other, led by KWY, is examining existing evidence-based practices for perpetrator response programs and evaluating their suitability for working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men. The study will seek to identify the most appropriate tools and to propose new approaches specifically tailored for this group.

These new trial programs sit alongside our other investment targeted towards perpetrator supports and services, programs which include the Domestic and Family Violence Perpetrator Response Program, which connects perpetrators to accommodation and supports to ensure survivors of domestic, family and sexual violence are provided with an opportunity to remain in their own home, where safe to do so.

The previous government sadly left this program with no ongoing funding beyond June 2022. Upon coming to government, we ensured the program ran for a further year, and in last year's budget guaranteed funding until June 2027. Additionally, this investment sits alongside our comprehensive legislative agenda, our new domestic violence prevention and recovery hubs that are providing specialist support and also our work with community to raise awareness about this terrible scourge and the role that everyone can play in tackling it. South Australia is also, of course, taking a significant step to ensure we have the full evidence base to drive the most effective change through our Royal Commission into Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence.