An emergency NSW cabinet meeting is being held in Sydney today to address the state’s response to family, domestic and sexual violence.
While no announcement is expected to follow today’s meeting, state leaders and advocates will consider state reports or reviews, as well as any recommendations put forward from them, in their discussions on the next steps to addressing men’s violence against women.
The meeting comes after NSW Premier Chris Minns announced the government would be seeking advice on whether reforms to bail laws are required in NSW, following the alleged murder of Molly Ticehurst in Forbes, NSW. Her former partner, 29-year-old Daniel Billings, was on bail for a separate offence before he contravened an apprehended violence order (AVO) and murdered Ticehurst, police allege.
Speaking to reporters earlier this week, Acting Premier Prue Car said all solutions will be “on the table” at today’s meeting to take “meaningful action” against the scourge of violence not just in NSW, but in Australia.
According to Destroy the Joint’s Counting Dead Women, male violence has killed 28 women in 2024.
In NSW, police receive around 2,500 domestic violence reports every month – but according to the NSW Council for Social Service, this figure likely represents just 40 per cent of actual domestic violence incidents.
This is due to significant underreporting of family, domestic and sexual violence in Australia: data shows an overwhelming 92 per cent of women who experience sexual violence do not report the incident to police.
The 2019-2021 report from the NSW Domestic Violence Death Review Team (DVRT) highlighted four main areas for change in the way the state manages male violence against women. These recommendation focus areas included police, law and justice, managing risk and complexities, domestic violence and diversity, and alternative reporting pathways.
Other areas the report recommended to reform included dynamics of abuse, post-homicide responses, the experiences of children and young people, and community awareness and attitudes.
The latest report from 2022 found that out of the 100+ recommendations made from the DVDRT in the last decade, just 40 per cent had been implemented.
‘More talk’
Jacinda Acheson is a close family friend to the Ticehurst family. She, along with other family members and friends of Molly Ticehurst, is fighting for bail law reforms in NSW named in her honour.
If passed, “Molly’s Law” would ensure police know the location of people on bail for domestic, family and sexual violence charges at all times to better protect alleged victims of these crimes.
Legislative reforms to bail is something NSW Premier Chris Minns indicated would be considered in addressing men’s violence against women, but Acheson is worried it is just “more talk”.
“They can go into discussions every single day of the week, but discussions aren’t going to fix anything. Take some action,” Acheson told Women’s Agenda.
“Molly’s Law to us would look like protection for the victims to help the victims feel safe… I wish I could be 100% confident that it will be put in place, but unfortunately, it may be just more talk and no actions.”
Yesterday was Molly Ticehurst’s funeral service in Forbes, NSW. The Premier attended the service, despite the loss of his own father just days earlier.
Acheson applauded and thanked Minns for his show of support to the family, the community and to victims of family, domestic and sexual violence.
“I know that he’s fighting very hard for this,” Acheson said. “So that speaks loudly – that he’s not only just supporting Molly, but other victims in this fight.”
What Acheson would like to see, however, is greater support from the national Domestic Violence Commissioner Micaela Cronin.
“She has not reached out to the family. I have spoken to her just once. She’s the domestic violence commissioner. She should be at the front end of this fight and the person who is screaming for it the most, and we’ve hardly seen her,” Acheson said.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced an additional $925 million invested over the next five years into the Leaving Violence Program. This announcement was among several other actions that came out of Wednesday’s national cabinet meeting.
But Acheson said the only way to make a difference is legislative change – and that starts and ends with government.
“You can put as much money into already failed programs as you like and it’s not going to change the end result,” Acheson said. “Monitoring devices would save hundreds of lives.”
“We can teach ourselves to speak up… But Molly saw the red flags. Molly saw them. She was taught everything that they’re (the government) putting money into to teach, and it still did not save her life. Because the system let her down.
“The Australian government are the only people who can change it, and the very least that they owe Molly is to have it changed in her name so that every single victim can look upwards and say: ‘Because of Molly, we’re now as safe as we possibly can be from our monsters.’”
If you or someone you know is experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, domestic, family or sexual violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732, text 0458 737 732 or visit 1800RESPECT.org.au for online chat and video call services.
If you are concerned about your behaviour or use of violence, you can contact the Men’s Referral Service on 1300 766 491 or visit http://www.ntv.org.au.