00:01One of the things that the Commission has talked about since it was established is the
00:06need to really talk about men's use of violence. We have invested most of the investment in
00:12the National Plan in our efforts to keep women and children safe has been in responding to
00:18incidents of violence and removing women, so response services, rather than tackling
00:23where the problem actually starts. And the problem starts with men's use of violence.
00:27So there's been a much greater focus over the last few years. This has been going on
00:32for decades, mind you, the work in men's behaviour change programs. And we need to be sure that
00:38the programs that are being funded and resourced and rolled out are effective and safe.
00:44Okay, so what are the concerns around current programs and what sort of title regulations
00:49are we talking about?
00:50So part of the intention of the Nationals is to set clear national standards. You've talked
00:57about that each of the jurisdictions have been doing work on developing up and funding
01:01programs. We need clarity around what are the minimum elements of programs to make sure that
01:08they actually add to women and children's safety, that they are delivering quality outcomes, that
01:13there is a real focus on accountability and responsibility.
01:17We don't know the timeline yet. When do you think some of these need to be rolled out?
01:24Look, the intention is that the national plan, the second action plan under the national plan will
01:30be launched early next year. And these standards needs to be ready as part of that program of work
01:36to be ensuring that any new investment is being geared towards programs that work.
01:43And are you confident that's going to happen, that that's going to be agreed to in the next
01:49short period?
01:51I'm very confident that all of the jurisdictions are really very committed to making sure we're
01:55doing the right thing with the men's behaviour change programs that they are funding.
01:59Now, there are lots of recommendations. I want to come to some of the others. The review also
02:02recommended that governments review and amend alcohol and gambling regulatory environments to
02:07prioritise prevention of domestic violence. What sort of commitments do you want state and
02:13territory governments to make with the Commonwealth around alcohol?
02:18You're right. There have been numerous recommendations around alcohol and the regulation
02:23of alcohol. And it's absolutely unequivocal, the evidence and the connection between
02:30alcohol usage and domestic family violence and the escalation of violence. One of the really clear
02:37calls from the sector and experts has been around delaying delivery of alcohol after hours, so online
02:45delivery. And that's a very good place to start. If states and territories regulated to address the calls
02:53around alcohol usage, the quantities of usage of volume that's being sold, but particularly that delivery.
03:02And one of the other things that we know is effective is closing of distribution by an hour
03:11makes a huge difference. That would make women and children safer overnight.
03:15Just by one hour?
03:16One hour and introducing a gap between when someone makes an order and the delivery.
03:25Those things make a huge difference.
03:27And what's the appetite by state and territories to do that? Because that's the harder work. You'll find
03:32these are very powerful industries, the alcohol and the gambling industry. We're seeing the gambling
03:37industry play that out right now. And I'm going to get to that. What's the appetite for state and territory
03:43governments to actually embark on some of that regulatory change around alcohol?
03:47Look, what I have witnessed from working alongside the women's and women's safety ministers is that
03:52they are very committed to and understand what the issues are. They've got a job in their cabinets to
03:59bring their colleagues along with them. And there are challenges in that across different jurisdictions.
04:05I think what I can speak to is the evidence is very clear. And this is something that governments
04:11could do that would make a very significant difference to women and children's safety.
04:14When we talk about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, it seems that that argument
04:20around alcohol is accepted very readily by the community. It seems that when it comes to other
04:26women in the community, that's not the case. Do you see it that way?
04:28Oh, PK, I think we have quite... The impact of racism and institutional racism in this country is
04:37very real in the experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women about the disproportionate
04:42way that they are both impacted by domestic family and sexual violence, often over-policed,
04:48misidentified and least well served. And you're right. We were very comfortable with alcohol
04:55regulations being imposed in some places, particularly around what was very visible across the country
05:01was Alice Springs. And we saw in the emergency departments overnight drops in the severity and
05:09the numbers of women who were present women and children presenting with injuries from domestic
05:13family and sexual violence.
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