NSW Premier Mike Baird has promised to instigate new domestic violence prevention measures if his government is re-elected on March 28.
Baird has promised a NSW-wide domestic violence register, which would allow women to access information about whether their partner or prospective partner has a history of violence.
The register would allow the government to collect records of domestic violence charges against all NSW residents, and share these records with women who request them.
The policy is based on research showing that most men who are violent towards their partners have a violent past. If implemented, this domestic violence disclosure scheme would be an Australian first.
It is modeled on the United Kingdom’s Clare’s Law, which established a similar register in an attempt to empower women to avoid abusive relationships. The law is named after 36-year-old Clare Wood, who was strangled to death by a boyfriend she had met online. Her attacker had a history of violence against women; during his previous relationship he had kidnapped his girlfriend at knifepoint.
The scheme would initially run as a pilot, in consultation with the Justice Department and Women NSW.
‘The disclosure scheme is a simple but powerful measure that provides people with the opportunity to find out if their partner has a violent past, and empowers decision-making about the future of relationships,” the Premier said at an International Women’s Day breakfast on Friday.
Baird emphasised the importance of instigating a level of transparency around domestic violence in Australia.
“Offender lists must be made public. We can’t have a position where there are secrets anymore.”
“We must have transparency and we must give women the choice to respond on the basis and knowledge of that information.”
Baird said that recent revelations that the prevalence of domestic violence related deaths has increased this year led him to decide that action must be taken.
“There is a plague in our state that we need to eradicate and that is domestic violence and sexual assault,” he said.
“Every single week we lose someone amongst us to domestic violence. And incredibly this year it has actually spiked, so that is a clear reminder we have to do more.”
Baird also made a second re-election promise: That a coalition state government would introduce a Minister for the Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault.
This new portfolio, also an Australian first, would be taken on by the Minister for Women, currently Goulburn MP Pru Goward. The Minister would be responsible for implementing and overseeing all of the government’s domestic and sexual violence prevention initiatives.
Baird said the creation of a new portfolio is a requisite part of increasing governments’ responses to the epidemic of domestic and sexual violence.
“It is time we elevated this to thelevel we should. We can’t continue with the statistics we are seeing.”
Both policies will be implemented after the state election on March 28 should the Baird-led coalition get re-elected.