Submission: Domestic Violence in Australia

RLC has a particular interest in ensuring that vulnerable women such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, culturally and linguistically diverse women, women with disability, women in same‐sex relationships, transgender women, and women in regional and remote areas have equal and appropriate access to legal and other domestic violence support and assistance.

We recommend that further funding be given to data collection, especially with respect to vulnerable groups, to community legal centres, to holistic and integrated models for legal and non-legal support services, and to the National Plan generally.

We further recommend that being a victim of domestic violence be a protected attribute under anti-discrimination law and that protections be included in the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) for victims of domestic violence.

The Family Law Act 1975 (Cth) should be amended to remove the presumption of equal shared parental responsibility and to deal appropriately with family violence in property proceedings.

Finally, the RLC recommends that safe and appropriate emergency housing and affordable low-income accommodation is made available for victims of domestic violence and their children.

Read RLC's submission.