DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS (15:05): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for the Status of Women a question about domestic violence and the protection of pets.

Leave granted.

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS: By way of background, in 2006, the minister would be aware that under the auspices of the Office for Women in this state, and through the Women's Information Service, there was a phone survey conducted which found that 61 per cent of respondents who had experienced significant levels of domestic violence had delayed leaving that situation of domestic violence because of concerns for the care of pets.

Quite rightly, the government then made it clear that it was its intention to seek funding to ensure that there was some sort of protected pets program in South Australia. This protected pets program would ensure the care of animals on a long-term basis for those who found themselves in a situation where they had to leave a residence because of a domestic violence situation and were putting off doing so because they did not have anywhere to place their cat, their dog, their budgie or whatever.

We know, increasingly, that domestic violence and cruelty to animals have quite a strong link. There are other issues there of where pets are threatened and, horrifically, we have seen some cases recently before the courts where pets have been inhumanely killed, and I am very pleased to see that those cases have been prosecuted and people have been called to account for those actions.

Could the minister please inform the chamber why, when in Queensland there is a protected pets program and in New South Wales in the last financial year we have seen the awarding to the RSPCA of $50,000 for a similar protected pets program, we do not have any ongoing facilities for people who are leaving domestic violence situations in South Australia to have a place to shelter their pets that is not ad hoc and not short term?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Public Sector Management, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Consumer Affairs, Minister for Government Enterprises) (15:07): I thank the honourable member for her most important question. It poses and incorporates a range of very interesting and quite serious issues that are quite complex. Indeed, domestic violence is a very complex offence, and there are strong links with domestic violence abuse, or the abusers, and things such as alcohol abuse, other substance abuse and also other acts of cruelty to pets, for instance, which have been fairly well established.

In terms of the issue of a protected pets program, here in South Australia one of the ways that we hope to deal with that issue is with our new domestic violence legislation, which is very much focused on being able to secure women and children in the family home and remove the perpetrator. We believe that legislation will take a lot of pressure off the problem of displaced pets when women have been abused and are forced, as is the current arrangement, to be removed from the family home and find a safe house somewhere.

A great deal of work has been done to reform that, and we have some excellent new legislation that is being developed operationally which should be rolled out reasonably soon. We believe that will address a number of those instances, but I am certainly happy to revisit that at a later date if there continue to be significant problems in that area.

In terms of the welfare protections, in my former role as minister for the environment, which included responsibility for welfare, I was responsible for reforming welfare legislation at the time which enabled those sorts of prosecutions to take place and for severe penalties, including imprisonment, to occur when extremely cruel acts were perpetrated against animals. So, I helped to contribute to a great deal of reforms at that time. I believe that matter should be reasonably well addressed with the current provisions. I am happy to monitor that and, as I said, if it is not satisfactory, I am prepared to have a look at that again at a later date.