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Legislative Council - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2008-09-11 Daily Xml
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CENTRAL VIOLENCE INTERVENTION PROGRAM

In reply to the Hon. A.L. EVANS (19 September 2006).

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY (Minister for Mineral Resources Development, Minister for Urban Development and Planning, Minister for Small Business): The Attorney-General has been provided this advice:

The Central Violence Intervention Program operates from the Adelaide Magistrates Court. It is an inter-agency initiative aimed at reducing domestic violence. This is a collaborative program involving the Attorney-General’s Department, the Courts Administration Authority, the Department for Correctional Services, the Department of Health, Salvation Army and the South Australia Police. The program is based on overseas models from the US, Canada and New Zealand and builds on the Violence Intervention Project operating from the Elizabeth Magistrates Court since April 1997. These models bring together victim perspectives, programs for perpetrators and responses from the criminal justice system. Specialist services are provided for men, women and children.

The Central Violence Intervention Program (CVIP) commenced operations in October 1999. The CVIP team includes a co-ordinator, women's worker, men's worker and children's worker employed through the Salvation Army, plus a court worker and men's worker employed by the Department for Correctional Services. 

The information provided on the Courts Administration Authority (CAA) website is accurate, in that the CVIP does not provide services for men who have been affected by domestic violence and abusive relationships. The website however refers to the Department of Human Services which no longer exists. The Attorney-General advises me that the Courts Administration Authority has been informed of this and will update the information on the website.

The wording of the website reflects the view that most domestic or family violence is perpetrated by men toward women. The World Health Organisation found that although women can be violent towards their male partners and violence occurs also between partners of the same sex, the overwhelming burden of partner violence is borne by women at the hands of men (WHO 2002:15).

The most recent figures from the Personal Safety Survey, which were released in August 2006 from the Australian Bureau of Statistics indicate:

4 per cent of all males physically assaulted in the last 12 months were assaulted by a current or previous female partner in the most recent incident.

31 per cent of females were physically assaulted by a current or previous male partner.

This would suggest that, although some adult men in Australia are subject to physical assault, only a small proportion of this violence is perpetrated by female partners or former partners, and most is perpetrated by other men.

Research has also indicated that violence toward men by women is different in extent and nature in these ways:

There is a far lower reporting rate of men as victims,

Violence against women perpetrated by men is more severe and more likely to inflict severe injury,

Male victims of violence did not report living in continuing state of fear about their partner.

The government provides a range of services to men affected by violence through health services, such as Community Health services, where men may access counselling and other support for relationship difficulties. The Domestic Violence Helpline (Uniting Care Wesley) and Mensline Australia (an initiative of the Commonwealth Department of Family and Community Services and Indigenous Affairs) both offer support and referral for men affected by domestic violence or abusive relationships. Centacare, Relationships Australia and Anglicare also offer support and counselling to men who are affected by violence or abusive relationships.

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