Royal Commission into Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence in South Australia

The Hon. C. BONAROS (14:54): My question is to the Attorney-General. Can he please provide the chamber with an update on the domestic and family violence royal commission, including the urgent and pressing need and importance of that body of work when it comes to misogyny and the rapid spread of vulgar and degrading terms and slogans like 'Your body, my choice' and 'Get back in the kitchen'?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector) (14:55): I thank the honourable member for her question and it is a very important process that is being undertaken. As the honourable member points out, the government established a royal commission, which commenced formally in the middle of this year. Respected South Australian advocate, author, former diplomat and Senator, Natasha Stott Despoja AO, has been appointed to lead the state's Royal Commission into Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence.

Ms Stott Despoja is highly qualified to undertake this role. Her credentials are extensive. Her investment, understanding and activism in the areas of domestic, family and sexual violence make her, I think, ideal for the appointment of the work that is being undertaken. As the founding chair of Our Watch, Ms Stott Despoja has been a vocal advocate and ally in working to prevent violence against women and girls. Things like her work at the UN have been particularly noted and her representation not just on our national stage but on the international stage.

The royal commission itself is expected to take 12 months and will have powers at the end to recommend policy, legislative, administrative and structural reform. The royal commission will examine five key themes, aligned with the National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children and they are:

prevention: how can South Australia facilitate widespread change in the underlying social drivers of domestic, family and sexual violence;

early intervention: how can South Australia improve effective early intervention through the identification and support of individuals who are at high risk of experiencing or perpetrating domestic, family and sexual violence;

response: how can South Australia ensure best practice response to family, domestic and sexual violence through the provision of services and support;

recovery and healing: how can South Australia embed an approach that supports recovery and healing through reducing the risk of retraumatisation and supporting victim survivors to be safe and healthy; and

coordination: how can government agencies, non-government organisations and communities better integrate and coordinate efforts across a spectrum of prevention, early intervention, response and recovery.

There has been $3 million allocated to conduct the inquiry. I know that the commission has been exceptionally hard at work, issuing earlier this year in July an issues paper. Submission responses to the issues paper were accepted until, I understand, mid-August.

I have mentioned in this chamber before the launch of the Share With Us survey, inviting responses about domestic, family and sexual violence in South Australia and to provide any other information that people wish to share. Written submissions through this were sought by 27 September. I know there have been other initiatives that have been undertaken, particularly in engaging with different groups. I note that the commission is particularly interested in hearing from the experiences and the needs of First Nations, particularly women, girls and children, and their experience with domestic, family and sexual violence.

I am also aware that the Share With Us online survey has an option for anonymous submissions and voicemail that is running until, I think, 10 December this year, particularly important in relation to the question at the end that the honourable member asked in relation to some of the unfortunate attitudes that we often find in social media.

A statewide student summit was held on 1 November, with more regional visits, including Port Lincoln, where the commission is hosting an Aboriginal partnerships committee to hear from Aboriginal people on domestic, family and sexual violence issues. So the commission is proceeding at speed but as inclusively as it can, hearing from those in the sector, those victim survivors with lived experience to inform the recommendations that will be made.