Blog

By Ophelia Hollway, Trainee Lawyer at Kingston Lawyers Pty Ltd.

For decades, family violence has been a silent epidemic, with one Australian woman being killed every week by a former or current partner. Both the media’s constant focus on ‘stranger danger’ and our unwillingness to discuss this traditionally private issue has caused our attention to be diverted away from the pervasive threat. It is therefore unsurprising that less than half of victims report family violence incidents to police.

Recent prominent cases of family violence have sparked debate within the community as well as a broader response by the Victorian Government in launching the Royal Commission into Family Violence which will publish its findings early next year. Clearly the current system involving intervention orders is inadequate in providing protection to victims of family violence, so requires urgent re-evaluation.

Having been involved in countless family law matters, Kingston Lawyers knows of the influence family violence incidents have on parenting arrangements so reinforce the importance of understanding your rights in approaching such situations. It is for this reason that we will be providing legal updates over the next few weeks surrounding family violence.