Australian Perspectives on Domestic Violence

Abstract

This chapter provides an overview of the historical and contemporary responses to domestic violence in Australia. The idea that domestic violence is a private matter largely prevailed until the 1970s, when feminist activism and governmental inquiries emphasised that it is a social problem mostly affecting women. Contemporary policy responses in Australia draw on a gendered analysis of domestic violence although some groups challenge that approach. The terms domestic and family violence are often used interchangeably in Australia, in part because many Indigenous communities prefer family violence as it encompasses Aboriginal kinship. The term family violence does not necessarily signal a gender-neutral approach. Legal responses to domestic violence include civil protection orders which were introduced in Australian States and Territories from the 1980s. Police have a central role in civil protection order systems which marks out Australian approaches as distinctive. The chapter examines the available evidence concerning the prevalence of domestic violence in Australia, and legal responses to domestic violence. It also discusses the experiences of marginalised women, particularly Indigenous women whose experience of family violence is mediated by the ongoing effects of colonisation and discrimination. The chapter looks beyond the traditional legal focus of civil and criminal law and includes information about other measures to respond to domestic violence, such as emergency accommodation, perpetrator programs and recently introduced multidisciplinary groups tasked with responding to high risk victims. It concludes by identifying areas that require greater attention in Australia.