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B.    Each State Govt. to appoint an agency, within its structure, to directly oversee, co-ordinate and Certify the Plethora Of Existing Support Groups and Governments and Councils Assisting Single Parents experiencing domestic violence, including better promoting the 'front line - 1st port of call'' State agency for distressed single mothers to discretely approach in order to -

a)     further decrease annual Femicide And Filicide deaths;

b)     reduce anxiety and improve QOL for single mothers and their children;

c)     facilitate more single mothers re-entering the work force; and  

d)     increase Newstart for single mothers (with a child or children over 5 years old) -
  *       FROM: 64.9% ($300.55 p/w) of the maximum Old Age Pension when incl 2 supplements of $463.10 p/w
  *       TO: 85% ($393.64 p/w) of the maximum Old Age Pension - an increase of $93.09 p/w

Involvement with Mary's House single mother's refuge

Since early 2019, the Writer has been performing voluntary work for Mary's House single mother's refuge on the lower North Shore that necessitated him obtaining (through Services NSW) a Working with Children Clearance from the Office of the Children's Guardian.

Mary’s House Refuge accommodates single mothers and their children (for approx. 13 weeks) during the often stressful period when an AVO is taken out due to the potential for domestic violence.   Mary’s House has capable and committed female ‘caseworkers’ who do an amazing job in instilling confidence and self-belief in the single mothers and their children that enter Mary’s House Refuge.  Once these single mothers are in a better 'head space', they are relocated to permanent accommodation usually in a 2 or 3 b/room home unit, often on the North Shore.

Initially, on Friday afternoon's the Writer collected surplus, expiring food from Coles at North Sydney and Bourke St Bakery to deliver it to Mary's House single mother's refuge and take any surplus food to a boy's refuge, Taldemundu, about 300m away in the same street.

In early June the Writer assisted other volunteers to ensure that all ‘requisite furniture/white goods/linen’ was delivered and installed in two separate home units to be occupied by single mothers and their children that were moving on from Mary's House.  ‘Requisite furniture/white goods/linen’ are usually a washing machine, fridge, TV, beds, couches, chairs, tables, bed linen.

Impacts of Domestic Violence

The definition of Femicide And Filicide informs that approx. 73 mothers and 20 children under 17 years die from domestic violence annually.  Thankfully these fatalities are slowly decreasing annually.  But they would reduce more rapidly, and general anxiety would be a lot less, if offenders were Punished in the manner that they were Punished until the early 20th century and Rehabilitation ensued after the Sentence of Corporal Punishment had been dispensed.

The Writer has undertaken research on the severity of domestic violence against mothers which invariably has an adverse effect on their children, not limited to:

1.    How well does Australia’s social security system support victims of family and domestic violence? - Aug 2018 - NATIONAL SOCIAL SECURITY RIGHTS NETWORK 

2.    National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children: 2010-2022:
        *    1st Action Plan - 2010-2013
        *    2nd Action Plan - 2013-2016
        *    3rd Action Plan - 2016-2017

3.    Newspaper articles re single parents experiencing domestic violence

4.    Department of Human Services - Newstart v Maximum Aged Pension

5.    Homicide in Australia 2012–13 to 2013–14: National Homicide Monitoring Program report

6.    National Council of Single Mothers and their Children Submission to Australian Law Reform Commission  -  21st April 2011

7.    13th Annual Statistical Report of the HILDA Survey

Below is an extract from National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children: 2010-2022 that relates to "..... each State Govt. to directly oversee, co-ordinate and Certify the Plethora Of Existing Support Groups  and  Governments And Councils Agencies Supporting Single Parents...." in the above page title:

Prima facie several of the Plethora Of Existing Support Groups and Governments And Councils Agencies Supporting Single Parents operate on a piecemeal, write your own support plan, basis that was made up as you go.  Governments must work collaboratively with these groups/agencies and build upon the evidence base, share information and track/measure/quantify performance. 

Just as the former NSW Baird Govt supported amalgamations of local councils to achieve cost/benefit economies, State Govt's need to encourage, facilitate and oversee the smaller 'groups/agencies' to work cohesively with other similar service groups/agencies as JVs/mergers, to achieve cost-effective synergies, where the sum of the mergers exceeds the aggregate of the individual not-for-profits.

Below are germane extracts from How well does Australia’s social security system support victims of family and domestic violence?  - August 2018 by the NATIONAL SOCIAL SECURITY RIGHTS NETWORK - Surry Hills, NSW   - "...is a peak community organisation focusing on income support law, policy and administration:

"The research found that Centrelink’s obligation to assess whether a person is a member of a couple continues to pose enormous challenges for staff, particularly where relationships are complex, are ‘on again/off again’, or where there are complex income and assets arrangements (which may take considerable time to disentangle post-separation). The system’s presumption of couples sharing income placed some women at increased risk of violence and/or pushed them to provide limited information to Centrelink which resulted in debts being raised. Cases included men refusing to share income, stealing partners’ money, withholding information about assets or forcing their partners to provide misleading information to Centrelink.

The consequences of family and domestic violence can be long lasting, including the ongoing impact of economic abuse post-separation. The research identified a number of cases where women had received sizeable compensation payments and, as a result, were subject to lengthy compensation preclusion periods during which they could not receive social security payment. Over time, their violent partners had coerced them to allow access to those funds but, post-separation, refused to repay them or provide any other financial support despite their ongoing inability to access social security income.

Centrelink did not recognise the history of family and domestic violence in these cases as a reason to waive the remaining portion of the preclusion period. Similarly, in many cases Centrelink did not recognise family and domestic violence as contributing to ‘special circumstances’ allowing debts to be waived, including where the person had no idea they had been receiving incorrect payments. The review considered the utility of Crisis Payment, which can be paid to support a person leaving a violent relationship, finding its intended function was undermined in many cases by a number of factors, including length of time allowed to claim for crisis payment, frequency and amount of payments, and issues around eligibility.

Having children adds considerable complexity to relationships where there is family and domestic violence. Care of children, whether it is classified by social security as ‘residence’ or ‘percentage of care’ remains a weapon used by perpetrators to continue family and domestic violence post-separation. Misleading claims about child residence by perpetrators are not uncommon.

Generally, Centrelink staff members do an impressive job supporting people to access their social security entitlement, often in difficult circumstances. The designation of expert positions in the Department of Human Services (DHS) and the Department of Social Services (DSS) would further help to achieve real impact, along with a mechanism coordinating the interface between those Departments including access by community and other government agencies.

The research suggests that more staff support is needed to ensure consistent, high quality levels of service. The report recommends consideration of ways to increase the availability of safe spaces for disclosure of family and domestic violence, and an increased emphasis on staff training so that they are able to assist clients with complex needs and/ or requiring greater levels of support.

The case data indicates that access to social workers remains pivotal to the effective management of issues relating to family and domestic violence, particularly when access to social workers is granted quickly and on-site. A greater reliance on information and communication technologies (over face-to-face interactions) has left many clients feeling unsupported and stressed by requirements to manage much of the claim process themselves, inhibiting disclosure of violence. These issues are amplified for those with limited access to, or understanding of, computer-based technologies.

While not necessarily typical of the majority of victims of family and domestic violence seeking social security entitlements, many clients in this report reported a sense of the social security system having failed them when they most needed support, including some staff appearing to act as gatekeepers and not facilitating their access to the system. This perception is at odds with the social security system’s mandate to operate as a safety net to support vulnerable people. The social security system remains a critical support mechanism for victims of family and domestic violence. It is vital that this overarching purpose is not lost in both the development of laws and policy, and during daily considerations about how specific laws and policies relate to individual cases."

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Below are extracts from National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children: 2010-2022:

Prevalence of Family and Domestic Violence

Family and domestic violence sits within the broader context of societal violence which includes violence by current or previous partners, siblings, parents, children, other family members, friends, acquaintances, employers, customers, clients and other, including strangers. Recent, comprehensive data compiled by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) shows family and domestic violence is common and its impact is far reaching.

Family and domestic violence occurs across all ages, and socioeconomic and demographic groups, but it predominantly affects women and children. The most pervasive form of violence experienced by women in Australia is violence perpetrated by a male intimate partner, while men are more likely to experience violence from strangers and in a public place 5.

An estimated one in six (1.6 million) Australian women and one in sixteen (500,000) men have been subjected to physical and/or sexual violence by a cohabiting partner since the age of 156. Approximately, 2,800 women and 560 men are hospitalised each year as a result of an assault by a spouse or partner (2014-15 data). One woman is killed each week, and one man is killed each month by a current or former partner (2013-2015 data).7

Children can experience family violence as a witness and/or a victim. More than two-thirds (68%) of mothers who had children in their care when they experienced violence from their previous partner said their children had seen or heard the violence.8 One in six (16%, or 1.5 million) women reported having experienced physical and/or sexual abuse before the age of 15 (as girls), and one in nine (11%, or 992,000) men reported having experienced abuse when they were boys.9

Some groups are at greater risk of family, domestic and sexual violence. The Australian Bureau of Statistics’ 2016 Personal Safety Survey found that those at greatest risk include Indigenous women,10 young women,11 pregnant women,12 women with disability,13 women ending a relationship and/or separating from partners,14 people with a history of abuse,15 people experiencing financial hardship16, unemployed women or women who rely on government payments as their main source of income,17 and children witnessing domestic violence.18

Effects of Family and Domestic Violence

Family violence causes terrible physical and psychological harm, particularly to women and children. It destroys families and undermines communities. Intimate partner violence causes more illness, disability and deaths than any other risk factor for women aged 25-44. Qualitative research has shown that children exposed to family, domestic and sexual violence can experience long-term effects on their development and have increased risk of mental health issues, and behavioural and learning difficulties.19 It is also the leading cause of homelessness for children.20 Children who witnessed partner violence against their parents were two to four times as likely to experience partner violence themselves (as adults) as people who had not (ABS 2017).

The effects of family violence are severe: reducing victims’ physical and mental health and wellbeing, their capacity for social and economic participation, and their ability to live free from fear. Whether the violence first occurs during a relationship, after separation, after the relationship ends, or throughout all these stages, its effects can be long term and damaging in many ways.21 Often, an abusive relationship will continue to affect a person for the remainder of their lives.22

Family and domestic violence is also expensive. In 2015–16, the financial cost of violence against women and their children in Australia, including direct costs such as healthcare and welfare support and indirect costs such as lost wages, was estimated at $22 billion.23  It is likely that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, pregnant women, women with a disability, and women experiencing homelessness were underrepresented in this calculation. Accounting for these women may add another 4 billion.24

The National Response to Family and Domestic Violence

Australia’s primary instrument to address family and domestic violence is the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children: 2010-2022 (the National Plan)25, which aims to achieve a ‘significant and sustained reduction in violence against women and their children’ (COAG 2011). It focuses on six national outcomes:

1.       Communities are safe and free from violence

2.       Relationships are respectful

3.       Indigenous communities are strengthened

4.       Services meet the needs of women and their children experiencing violence

5.       Justice responses are effective

6.       Perpetrators stop their violence and are held to account

Strategy 4 includes (at 4.3) the funding of income support and family assistance payments, including Crisis Payment for women experiencing violence. The (current) Third Action Plan 2016 -1926 to deliver the National Plan is currently being implemented.

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Below are extracts from National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children: 2010-2022 for National Outcome 4

"A study commissioned by the Commonwealth in 2009 also shows the enormous economic cost of violence. Domestic violence and sexual assault perpetrated against women costs the nation $13.6 billion each year. By 2021, the figure is likely to rise to $15.6 billion if extra steps are not taken.[7]

The emotional and personal costs of violence against women cannot be measured: the effects reach all levels of society.

Violence not only affects the victim themselves, but the children who are exposed to it, their extended families, their friends, their work colleagues and ultimately the broader community."

[7] KPMG, 2009.

National Outcome 4 – Services meet the needs of women and their children experiencing violence

Specialist and mainstream services are critical to helping women rebuild their lives following violence. Time for Action reported on the challenges facing the domestic violence and sexual assault sector in meeting the needs of victims. These included the inability of services to meet the holistic needs of victims and their families and over-stretched and stressed services with long waiting lists.

Time for Action also reported the need for the first door to be the right door. A ‘first door approach’ means that for women who have experienced violence their first point of contact should provide professional, capable and compassionate assistance. Improving collaboration between services means that women do not have to repeat their stories.

Services supporting victims of violence must be flexible in meeting the diverse needs of their clients, including Indigenous women, older women, young women, women with disabilities, same-sex attracted women and women from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

Of those women who reported experiencing partner violence in the 2005 Personal Safety Survey, 34 per cent said their children had witnessed the violence.[1] Children need services to meet their needs in their own right.

Measure of success

The success of Outcome 4 will be measured by an increase in the access to, and responsiveness of, services for victims of domestic and family violence and sexual assault.

Data: Personal Safety Survey to be conducted every four years across the life of the National Plan.

Strategy 4.1: Enhance the first point of contact to identify and respond to needs

When violence occurs, victims and their children need access to support services that are high quality, accessible and responsive. Women should not have to tell their story multiple times to multiple services. The first response should be the right one.

Strategy 4.2: Support specialist domestic violence and sexual assault services to deliver responses that meet needs

New perspectives and strategies are required by all Australian governments in the delivery of best responses, as early as possible to victims of violence. Women may require specialised support based on individual needs in recognition of issues such as age, English language proficiency, disability, sexuality and prior victimisation.

Strategy 4.3: Support mainstream services to identify and respond to needs

Women and their children need to receive holistic support including health, housing, education, employment and legal assistance. Economic and social wellbeing is critical for women and their children who have been victims of violence to rebuild their lives. Services need to be equipped to support this.

Strategies

Strategy 4.1: Enhance the first point of contact to identify and respond to needs

Under this strategy, the key actions by Australian governments during 2010 to 2013 are to:

•       Deliver high quality integrated national helpline and online support services which meet national benchmarks.

•       Reduce the need for victims to retell their story through improved information sharing and integrated case management.

•       Extend the use of best practice risk assessment and management frameworks to identify and respond to violence against women.

These actions will all be the joint responsibility of the commonwealth, states and territories.

Immediate national initiatives under this strategy are:

•       Expand the 1800 RESPECT: Domestic and Sexual Violence National Counselling Service, to provide back up support for frontline workers such as allied health, child care etc. who clients may disclose domestic violence and sexual assault and do not know what to do.

•       Develop national standards and integrate 1800 RESPECT with state and territory services to ensure victims are able to be transferred in a timely way to relevant local services.

Strategy 4.2: Support specialist domestic violence and sexual assault services to deliver responses that meet needs

Under this strategy, the key actions by Australian governments during 2010 to 2013 are to:

•       Build the capacity of domestic violence services to respond to the needs of children who are exposed to domestic violence.

•       Extend sexual assault services and domestic violence services’ work with other agencies to provide flexible, innovative, inclusive and integrated services which recognise diversity.

•       Provide survivors of sexual assault with access to timely, best practice forensic medical and crisis response/counselling services.

•       Support the specialist domestic violence and sexual assault workforces.

•       Support culturally responsive services for Aboriginal children and young people impacted by the experience of family violence.

These actions will all be the responsibility of states and territories.

Immediate national initiatives under this strategy are:

•       Support better service delivery for children, Indigenous women and women with disabilities through the development of new evidence based approaches where existing policy and service responses have proved to be inadequate.

•       Implement the Building Capacity Building Bridges project to deliver accredited ‘child focus’ training to workers in adult‐focused services.

•       Investigate and promote ways to improve access and responses to services for women with disabilities.

•       Develop a National Workforce Agenda to support and improve workforces involved in reducing violence against women.

Strategy 4.3: Support mainstream services to identify and respond to needs

Under this strategy, the key actions by Australian governments during 2010 to 2013 are to:

•       Improve early identification of violence against women through routine home visits and screening tools for antenatal, maternal and child health services.

•       Improve and expand cross-agency support for women and children to remain safely in their homes and communities while the perpetrator is removed.

•       Increase the numbers of families who maintain or secure long term safe and sustainable housing post-violence.

These actions will all be the joint responsibility of the commonwealth, states and territories.

Immediate national initiatives under this strategy are:

•         Implement homelessness services under the National Homelessness Partnership Agreement to improve housing options for women victims of violence.

•         Fund income support and family assistance payments, including the Crisis Payment for women experiencing violence.

•        Provide social work services to victims experiencing domestic violence through Centrelink’s Domestic and Family Violence Strategy.

•         Provide training for health workers in regional and rural areas to help them recognise signs of domestic violence, and to make referrals to available community resources.

•         Develop a national risk assessment framework for the health sector to assist medical professionals identify and better support victims of violence.

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Below are extracts from National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children: 2010-2022 for National Outcome 5

"National Outcome 5 – Justice responses are effective:

Domestic violence and sexual assault are crimes. A range of civil and criminal measures exist to protect women and children in Australia who have experienced violence and prevent further violence. While aiming to reduce violence, the First Action Plan will drive more effective justice responses where violence has occurred.

Reforms to the justice system have improved links between criminal justice processes, services for victims and prevention programs. Despite these changes, the legal response remains inadequate for many women and their children.[1] Under the National Plan work will be undertaken to improve the legal response to domestic and family violence and sexual assault, and to promote responses from criminal justice agencies.

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Below are extracts from National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children: 2010-2022 for National Outcome 6

National Outcome 6 – Perpetrators stop their violence and are held to account

Preventing and reducing violence against women requires strong laws that are effectively administered and hold perpetrators to account. This outcome promotes a zero tolerance approach to violence, supported by stronger policing leading to arrest, consistent sentencing of perpetrators, and serious consequences for perpetrators if they breach orders.

‘Perpetrator interventions’ include a broad range of responses for perpetrators, including legal responses and rehabilitation programs. The primary objective of perpetrator interventions is to ensure the safety of women and their children.

This outcome is supported by research that shows the likelihood of recidivism may be reduced by addressing the underlining causes of offending behaviour.[1] Focusing just on punishing perpetrators will not bring about behaviour change. Perpetrators need assistance to end their violence.

All governments recognise the evidence base for perpetrator interventions requires strengthening. This requires a staged, systematic approach. Lessons can be shared between those who work with perpetrators of domestic violence and those who work with perpetrators of sexual violence.

Governments are currently working to expand the range of perpetrator interventions in their jurisdictions. Perpetrator interventions are now recognised as an essential part of an effective plan to reduce violence against women and their children. Research into effective perpetrator interventions is crucial and will guide work in future action plans.

Measure of success

The success of Outcome 6 will be measured by a decrease in repeated partner victimisation.

Data: Personal Safety Survey to be conducted every four years across the life of the National Plan.

Strategy 6.1: Hold perpetrators accountable

The most effective way to deliver an immediate reduction in violence and enhance community safety in the long term is to hold perpetrators to account now.

Strategy 6.2: Reduce the risk of recidivism

Violent behaviour needs to be addressed before there is an opportunity for violence to occur again. Community safety can also be enhanced by reducing the risk that perpetrators will re-offend. This strategy seeks to improve responses to perpetrators to help reduce rates of re‐offending.

Strategy 6.3: Intervene early to prevent violence

Some men are more likely than others to act violently towards women due to health, behavioural or other complex risk factors. They should be supported as children and young teenagers to develop appropriate behaviours and protected from the damaging effects of exposure to violence.

Strategies

Strategy 6.1: Hold perpetrators accountable

Under this strategy, the key actions by Australian governments during 2010 to 2013 are to:

•       Adopt effective pro‐active policing. This will be the joint responsibility of the Commonwealth, states and territories.

•       Implement strong domestic violence and sexual assault legislative responses to offending. This will be the responsibility of states and territories.

•       Enforce strong penalties for repeat offences and breaches of sentencing and protective orders. This will be the responsibility of states and territories.

Immediate national initiatives under this strategy are:

•       Conduct research into perpetrator interventions, and use this to develop best practice guidelines and national standards.

•       Develop and trial new models and approaches to improve police responses for Indigenous family safety.

Strategy 6.2: Reduce the risk of recidivism

Under this strategy, the key actions by Australian governments during 2010 to 2013 are to:

•    Track sexual assault and domestic violence offenders to improve monitoring and management of the risk of violence. This action will be the joint responsibility of the Commonwealth, states and territories.

•     Enforce attendance at mandatory domestic violence and sexual assault perpetrator programs. This will be the responsibility of states and territories.

•     Set and monitor national minimum standards for domestic violence perpetrator programs and ensure programs for sex offenders continue to adhere to evidence based best practice. This action will be the joint responsibility of the Commonwealth, states and territories.

•    Develop, test and roll out specific evidence based best practice domestic violence programs to be tested in correctional, juvenile justice and community settings. This action will be the joint responsibility of the Commonwealth, states and territories.

•     Identify effective post intervention services and programs to sustain long term behavioural change and reduce re offending. This action will be the joint responsibility of the Commonwealth, states and territories.

 

Immediate national initiatives under this strategy are:

•     Commonwealth to provide funding to expand the number and standard of perpetrator interventions through a once‐off reward payment to the states and territories at the end of the first three‐year action plan. Funding will support greater integration between police, the courts, corrections and family violence and community services.

•    Commonwealth to provide funding to increase evaluation of interventions to both build the evidence base and support development of national standards.

Strategy 6.3: Intervene early to prevent violence

Under this strategy, the key actions by Australian governments during 2010 to 2013 are to:

•       Provide access to interventions for people with complex needs at risk of committing violence.

•       Provide services for children and young people showing early indicators of violence or sexually harmful behaviours.

These actions will all be the joint responsibility of the commonwealth, states and territories.

Immediate national initiatives under this strategy are:

•       Conduct research into perpetrator interventions, and use this to develop best practice guidelines and national standards.

•       Details of the key, specific actions to be undertaken by each jurisdiction against the strategies and actions outlined above will be provided in each jurisdiction’s implementation plan. This will include details of which actions each jurisdiction will undertake, along with when they will do it and who has responsibility for its success.

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Below is a further extract from National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children: 2010-2022

Implementing the National Plan

The National Plan is a 12 year overarching plan for reform (2010-2022) supported by rolling three year action plans identifying specific actions, responsibilities and timeframes for action. Now the National Plan has been developed, governments need to work on how the National Plan will be implemented. This includes looking at how governments will work together and with the community to reduce violence against women and their children.

Governance

The Governance arrangements consist of:

•        The Council of Australian Governments

•        Relevant Commonwealth, state and territory ministers

•        National Plan Implementation Panel involving representation from Commonwealth, state and territory governments, and non-government organisations

•        Working groups to progress specific actions nationally

Jurisdiction level arrangements

The National Plan will require integrated governance arrangements that cut across traditional government boundaries and engage the community‐based and private sectors. Work under the National Plan will need to engage diverse government portfolios and services.

Relevant Commonwealth, state and territory ministers will oversee the implementation of the National Plan, monitor progress and develop further Action Plans. Ministers across different areas of all governments will be involved. Because reducing violence against women is relevant to many areas of government, the ministers will partner with other groups of ministers where appropriate to progress key national priorities. A cross jurisdictional officials group will continue to support Commonwealth, state and territory Ministers.

A tripartite National Plan Implementation Panel will be established to advise on the development and implementation of the National Plan, including key national priority projects identified in the Action Plans. The Implementation Panel will also provide advice to ministers on emerging issues for subsequent Action Plans. The Implementation Panel will ensure there is effective cross government and cross community collaboration.

The Implementation Panel will comprise government and non-government representatives, such as leading researchers, practitioners and community representatives. The Implementation Panel will report to ministers.

Working groups will sit under the Implementation Panel and will be established as required to progress the implementation of important national priorities. Membership will be drawn from government and non-government representatives from sexual assault and domestic violence sectors which specialise in the prevention of violence, providing service support to victims, or justice responses.

Violence against women requires a whole of government and community response. States and territories have arrangements in place to engage with service providers and experts across different fields. These arrangements will continue and will be formally used to engage key stakeholders on relevant aspects of the National Plan's implementation. These are an important point of contact between national and state and territory activities.

A national implementation plan

All governments will work together to develop a national implementation plan within four months of COAG endorsement of the National Plan. The national implementation plan will set out how governments will implement key national priorities over the life of the First Action Plan. A new implementation plan will be developed for each three year action plan to reflect changing and emerging priorities.

Jurisdictional implementation plans

Alongside the national implementation plan, each jurisdiction will develop and make public a jurisdictional implementation plan every three years. These implementation plans are important because states and territories will undertake actions in different ways and will give higher priority to actions where they are more relevant to local circumstances. Jurisdictions will report annually to ministers on progress against the national and jurisdictional implementation plans.

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