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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2021-03-30 Daily Xml
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Domestic Violence

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE (14:37): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking a question of the Minister for Human Services regarding domestic violence.

Leave granted.

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: In September 2018, and again in July 2019, the minister issued media releases to promote the domestic violence disclosure service. The first media release said that the scheme 'aims to help people who may be at risk of domestic violence find out if their current or former partners has a history of violence or other relevant offences'. The minister said:

This scheme will help bridge the gaps for those in our community who feel they do not know where to go, and give them the tools to be able to ask for help in a safe and caring environment.

In July 2019, the minister issued another media release on this scheme. The release said:

The fact that over half the applications involved a potential disclosure to people at risk is a sobering thought, highlighting that the risk of domestic violence remains all too prevalent in our community.

Both media releases ended with a link to the official SAPOL website, which is www.police.sa.gov.au/your-safety/dvds. Both of these links to the official police website have been hijacked with diversions to external Liberal websites. Victims of domestic violence so often live in fear of their personal information becoming known and placing them at risk of stalking, injury or death. The minister's own media release highlighted the risk and the vulnerability of those who access this scheme. My questions to the minister are:

1. How can the minister highlight the risk and vulnerability of those accessing the domestic violence disclosure service while encouraging them to click on links that divert them to external Liberal Party websites, where their confidential information may have been breached?

2. What exactly is safe and caring, to use their minister's own words, about using click bait on people at risk of domestic violence?

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK (Minister for Human Services) (14:40): I thank the honourable member for her question and for providing me with the opportunity to talk about the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme, which has been an innovative development in South Australia. Indeed, this morning, I had the opportunity to meet with the board of Our Watch, which is chaired by Natasha Stott Despoja AO and has a number of highly credentialed people. We, as well as the Assistant Minister for Domestic and Family Violence Prevention, Carolyn Power, did talk about this scheme, which is one which follows on from its development in New South Wales.

The scheme has had a number of applications to it. For the period 2 October 2018 to 28 February 2021 there were 737 applications to the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme, 509 of which—

The Hon. E.S. Bourke: And they're all receiving emails from the Liberal Party.

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Ms Bourke will be silent.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: The minister will continue.

The Hon. E.S. Bourke interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Ms Bourke has an opportunity—

The Hon. E.S. Bourke: The fact that this is the answer is extraordinary.

The PRESIDENT: Order! The Hon. Ms Bourke, you can't help yourself. Minister, continue.

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: —509 of which were found eligible to apply for a disclosure. So that clearly is a significant number of people who have been able to access information in order to assist them to stay safe. I will repeat the words of the minister for—

The Hon. R.I. Lucas: Public sector.

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: —the minister for public sector to say that these claims the Labor Party is making have been unequivocally denied—not to be true.

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