Laws aimed at better protecting domestic and family violence survivors passed state parliament last week.

The laws aim to ensure defendants granted bail on a charge of breaching a DV-related intervention order by either threatening or committing a violent act will be subject to mandatory strict conditions of home detention and electronic monitoring.

The move mirrors similar provisions in place for defendants accused of offences involving serious or organised crime.

Defendants will be unable to leave the home unless for specific permitted reasons – such as travelling to work or to a medical appointment – with the monitoring device capable of providing real-time alerts if any home detention conditions are breached.

The government has also passed legislation to provide access to 15 days paid leave for domestic and family violence in the public service as well as legislation to make the experience of domestic violence a ground of discrimination in the Equal Opportunity Act.

The Royal Commission into Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence, led by Commissioner Natasha Stott Despoja AO, will formally start on 1 July and will examine five key themes, aligned with the National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children 2022-2032:

• PREVENTION: How South Australia can facilitate widespread change in the underlying social drivers of domestic, family and sexual violence.
• EARLY INTERVENTION: How South Australia can improve effective early intervention through identification and support of individuals who are at high risk of experiencing or perpetrating domestic, family and sexual violence.
• RESPONSE: How South Australia can ensure best practice response to family, domestic and sexual violence through the provision of services and supports.
• RECOVERY AND HEALING: How SA can embed an approach that supports recovery and healing through reducing the risk of re-traumatisation and supporting victim-survivors to be safe and healthy.
• COORDINATION: How government agencies, non-government organisations and communities can better integrate and coordinate efforts across the spectrum of prevention, early intervention, response and recovery.

Premier Peter Malinauskas says it takes a tremendous amount of bravery and strength for someone to come forward and report cases of domestic and family violence to authorities.

“These laws will help give those victim-survivors an additional layer of confidence that defendants in these cases will be subject to restricted movement and closely monitored in the event that they are granted bail. 

Katrine Hildyard is Minister for Women and the Prevention of Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence.

“The prevalence of domestic, family and sexual violence in our community is utterly unacceptable. 

“Our community is filled with anger, frustration and sorrow that this year, a woman has been killed by a man every four days. 

“It is a terrible fact that strengthens our steadfast resolve to continue to take action to tackle this scourge.”