Victoria’s Labor government has promised a series of measures to protect women and children from domestic and sexual violence if it wins the state election on November 28, including partner history checks, a dating app ban for convicted offenders and a $31.5 million funding boost.
Premier Ben Carroll will announce the plans on Tuesday, including the introduction of “Clare’s Law”, which would allow people to ask police whether their partner has a history of domestic abuse.
The proposed disclosure scheme would also allow a person to make an inquiry on behalf of a friend or relative believed to be in a dangerous relationship. Police could proactively provide information if they considered someone’s safety to be at risk.
“You deserve to know if your partner has a secret violent past,” Mr Carroll said.
The policy is named after Clare Wood, a British woman murdered by her former partner in 2009. A similar scheme operates in South Australia, where police can disclose convictions, police reports, charges, arrests, intervention orders and breaches involving a partner.
Labor’s family violence funding plans
The government has also pledged to make it a criminal offence for convicted domestic abusers or sex offenders to use dating apps, in an effort to prevent the platforms being used to target victims.
Coroners would be given new powers to prevent alleged abusers from remaining the next of kin of victims in cases involving domestic violence or estrangement. An alternative next of kin could be appointed instead.
Labor is promising $15.5 million for the Orange Door family violence support service, funding additional staff and resources and extending assistance to 10,000 more victim-survivors. A further $16 million would support early-intervention programmes intended to reduce violence.
The government also plans to ban artificial intelligence smart glasses at public swimming pools, changing rooms, community sports venues, hospitals, aged-care homes and family violence services.
The devices, which can record video from the wearer’s point of view, have legitimate uses but have been criticised for their potential to secretly film people. Labor has already announced a ban in schools, kindergartens and childcare centres.
“Tech has changed, so must our laws,” Mr Carroll said. “Creeps shouldn’t be able to secretly film kids at Saturday sport.”
Experts question how Clare’s Law would work
Family violence organisations welcomed the proposed funding, although experts raised questions about how the disclosure scheme and dating app restrictions would operate in practice.
Professor Kate Fitz-Gibbon, a Monash University family violence researcher, said increased investment in frontline services was welcome but described it as “a pity it takes a forthcoming election to receive this”.
“The sector has been calling for greater investment for years, with services struggling to meet demand and too many victim-survivors unable to access the support they need when they seek safety,” she said.
Professor Fitz-Gibbon said the effectiveness of domestic violence disclosure schemes remained unproven. “Our research has found limited evidence that domestic violence disclosure schemes actually prevent violence or improve safety outcomes,” she said.
Phillip Ripper, chief executive of men’s behaviour change organisation No To Violence, said Labor had responded to calls for earlier intervention, but argued that the proposed $4 million a year over the next term of government was insufficient compared with the billions spent annually on police and courts responding after violence occurs.
Dr Joumanah El-Matrah, chief executive of Safe and Equal, said the funding for support workers and early intervention recognised the importance of helping people before violence escalated. She said the proposed Orange Door investment would be a “vital boost” extending access to an additional 10,000 clients.
