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Family violence ‘the most pressing issue of terrorism’ facing Australia: Rosie Batty

The current family law inquiry has the potential to weaken existing safety protections in the system, when it is required to do significantly more, argues former Australian of the Year Rosie Batty.

user iconJerome Doraisamy 24 February 2020 Politics
Rosie Batty
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Speaking late last week in the wake of the Baxter family tragedy in Brisbane, Ms Batty said this “unspeakable act of violence” should force elected representatives to deeply consider their stances and leadership on the issues of domestic violence.

“This is the most pressing issue of terrorism our society faces – where at least one woman each week is murdered.  It is too painful and confronting for us to even face and acknowledge how many children are murdered by an abusive parent, but we do know that at least one in four children is affected by violence in their home and the trauma they experience will impact their lives forever,” she argued.

The family law court system must play a “significant” role in ensuring that children are kept safe, Ms Batty continued.

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“The decisions that are made through this system impact on the wellbeing of children dramatically and have the potential of placing children at further risk of harm or enabling them to reach their potential without fear and trauma impacting their development,” she added.

“The current family law inquiry has the potential to weaken existing safety protections in the system, when it is required to do significantly more.”

“We are all devastated and deeply affected by these calculated and senseless murders and stunned by their hideous cruelty. I am overwhelmed and, like so many, full of despair.”

Ms Batty also expressed concern about language used by certain authority figures, as well as media outlets, in presenting the alleged murderer “as a loving father”.

“A loving parent never considers murder as ever being an option or a solution.  No one is ‘driven’ to murder no matter the circumstances or situation that they find themselves in. Murder is a decision that is deliberate and driven by the need to exact revenge and achieve the ultimate act of power and control,” she posited. 

“Although mental health, drugs and alcohol can be contributing factors, violence is always a choice and one that we should not continue to make excuses for.”

Late last year, the Law Council of Australia called a funding injection of $15.5 million from the federal government into the family law system “unacceptable”. Women’s Legal Services Queensland has also called upon the federal government to create a specialised domestic violence court.

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