A motion calling on the Government to establish a Royal Commission into Family, Domestic and Sexual Violence will be moved in the Upper House today, backed by the Greens, SA-BEST and the Liberals.
The call comes as four women were killed at the hands of a man they knew in a single week. It has been said that this is potentially the worst week for fatal domestic and family violence in our recorded history.
Quotes attributable to Tammy Franks MLC:
“Right now, we are in the middle of a national domestic violence crisis, and we have just seen four SA women murdered in a week. A Royal Commission will be crucial in identifying barriers, gaps and opportunities for us to save the lives of murdered South Australian women.”
“The incidence of violence against women and children is completely unacceptable. We are failing victims and survivors of domestic violence, and we need to target investment where it matters the most. We need to listen to women and centre them in a whole of Government and a whole of society solution.”
Quotes attributable to Connie Bonaros MLC:
“I know our Premier to be a very good man and a very good leader. We know great leadership takes people where they don’t necessarily want to go - this is one of those times. Right now, our social conscience demands nothing less of our Premier.
'How do you put a price on the lives of not one but four women killed in the space of a week?
'For the sake of every woman, killed at the hands of an intimate partner, I implore our Premier and his government to step up and lead with the conviction we all know he is renowned for. We owe at least that much to each and every family left behind to pick up the shattered pieces.
'Promises of coercive control legislation in the new year isn’t the answer. There are no silver bullets here - nothing short of a royal commission will help us fix this.
And God forbid there be another South Australian woman killed in the meantime.”
Quotes attributable to Michelle Lensink MLC:
"We need to see a Royal Commission into Family and Domestic Violence - the tragic deaths of four South Australian women in seven days is unprecedented.
We know that domestic abuse-related offences have soared in the past two years, jumping by 18 per cent and that is clear indicator that we have a crisis on our hands when it comes to the women’s safety.
Peter Malinauskas needs to stand up and show leadership on this serious issue because we cannot afford to waste time when the lives are on the line."
Quotes attributable to Mary Leaker, General Manager of Embolden:
Embolden, SA’s peak body for domestic, family and sexual violence services, welcomes the Green’s and SA Best’s support for a Royal Commission into domestic, family and sexual violence in our state, along with support for a Royal Commission announced by the SA Liberal Party yesterday.
We call again on the State Government to commit to a Royal Commission and implement it immediately.
We commend the State Government’s work on criminalizing coercive control and electronic monitoring of domestic violence offenders and look forward to working in partnership with government to ensure effective implementation. However, these initiatives are a not a substitute for the whole-of-system reform we need. This is not an either/or situation. We need both implementation of these important initiatives and a Royal Commission into domestic, family and sexual violence in SA.
We need a Royal Commission to ensure that people experiencing violence can easily access the support they need when they need it, no matter who they are or where they live in our state.