Victims of family violence will be given a louder voice in court under new legislation put forward by the state government.
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The government on Tuesday tabled legislation in State Parliament that extends the rights of victims of domestic violence to provide details about the effect of the offences on them to all courts.
The Crimes (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 2016 gives victims a legal right to provide victim impact statements to the sentencing court outlining the direct consequence of the crime, whether it be injury, loss, or damage.
Attorney-General Vanessa Goodwin said the changes reflected modern community standards and the expectations that victims of family violence have a voice in the sentencing process.
“In Tasmania, the legal right of victims to provide details of the impact of a perpetrator’s offending on them has been limited to matters that are heard in the Supreme Court,” Dr Goodwin said.
“However, the majority of family violence offenders are dealt with in the Magistrates Court, where charges such as common assault and breach of family violence orders are routinely heard.
“In addition to this Amendment Bill, the government will also soon be releasing detail around how we intend to further strengthen the legislative frameworks to hold perpetrators of family violence to account and to improve the safety of victims of family violence.”
Dr Goodwin said the government was currently examining further potential amendments to the Family Violence Act 2004 to make perpetrators more accountable in the family violence system.
She said the government was also investigating ways to provide a more appropriate mechanism to monitor and manage dangerous family violence offenders post-release.
“We are also examining other necessary legal reforms to enhance the safety of victims of family violence, including changes to facilitate the recording and admissibility of victim statements at the “crime scene”,” she said.
Last year, the government announced a $26 million Family Violence Action Plan to address domestic violence.
Since the plan, Tasmania Police has recorded a significant increase in the reporting of family violence, which it says is a positive thing.
Last month, a confronting new national advertising campaign began on television, radio and in newspapers targeting domestic violence before it starts.