States & territories work to combat relationship abuse
Across Australia, the pattern of insidious abuse, known as coercive control is endangering the lives of people in intimate relationships. In some cases, it's even led to the loss of lives. But several jurisdictions are adopting solutions ranging from education to legislation to combat the issue.
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00:00Coercive control can feel like walking on eggshells.
00:04Food, finances, sex, exercise and communications are controlled
00:08and a victim is isolated from loved ones.
00:11Identifying it can be difficult.
00:13Coercive control where one person systematically
00:17takes over another person's life and controls it
00:22and tells them what they can and can't do.
00:24Dr Pittman has worked with police,
00:26training them to spot its subtleties.
00:28The signs to look out for are who is dominating that relationship?
00:35Who is more fearful as opposed to dramatic and loud and indignant?
00:42Every jurisdiction bar South Australia confirmed
00:45it is already providing similar training or soon will.
00:48Governments have also turned their attention to the issue
00:51and last year all states and territories agreed
00:53on a set of national principles.
00:55The Commonwealth has already legislated some time back
00:59to include coercive control as part of family violence
01:04under the Family Law Act and states and territories are now moving.
01:09In New South Wales and Queensland,
01:11coercive control is now a stand-alone criminal offence.
01:14South Australia is working on similar draft laws
01:17and Western Australia is taking a phased approach,
01:20strengthening the response system before making it an offence.
01:23While in the ACT, Victoria, the Northern Territory and Tasmania,
01:27it's included under family violence laws,
01:29meaning a family violence order can be sought.
01:32The federal government recently released coercive control fact sheets.
01:36Once people have got information,
01:38once people have been given resources to recognise it,
01:43it's more likely that we're going to be able to prevent it.
01:46Age appropriate information is also being delivered to school students
01:49but experts warn more education is needed.
01:52Evidence shows that for a respectful relationships education
01:55to reach its full potential to be driving change,
01:58it needs to be about everything that's happening in the school.
02:02Playing the long game on an insidious issue.