Ministers heard from prominent advocates including former Australian of the year Rosie batty, NSW women's safety commissioner Hannah Tonkin and Victorian Royal Commission into family violence commissioner Marcia Neave.
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00:00 There was no confirmed announcement out of today's special meeting here in Martin Place
00:06 this morning. However, Deputy Premier Prue Carr, who led the meeting, said today will
00:10 form part of what will become an emergency response package which the people of New South
00:15 Wales can expect in the coming days. Advocates like Rosie Batty, Hannah Tonkin and Marcia
00:20 Neve handed down their lived experience to the Cabinet this morning. Minister Carr said
00:26 it was a deeply moving experience listening to what they had to say. She said there is
00:31 still the potential for a Royal Commission in New South Wales into domestic violence.
00:35 However, there is enough information needed to form a response. She also said that targeted
00:42 intervention in regional areas where domestic violence rates are the highest will also be
00:48 a priority of this package.
00:51 Out of today, we have clearly heard three very clear things. That we need to invest
00:58 very clearly in crisis responses and frontline services for women who are fleeing domestic
01:04 and family violence, who are fleeing violent homes, violent partners, violent relationships.
01:11 But that we need to do better in primary prevention and in early intervention. We will be talking
01:18 about the medium and the long term actions that we need to invest in and drive as a government
01:26 in terms of driving the cultural change to stop women from dying and to stop women from
01:31 being victims of domestic violence, family violence and violence in their intimate relationships.
01:38 The Victorian Royal Commission over a decade ago was a key talking point for advocate Rosie
01:43 Batty because she says that's where change to gender based violence in her state began.
01:48 She believes that's the way forward for New South Wales in lowering what has been an increasing
01:54 death rate.
01:55 And I'm very, very passionate about the emphasis of respectful relationships in schools, starting
02:04 as early as creche, kinder, early learning. I think without recognising the intergenerational
02:14 impacts on young people of violence, we will never see this scourge on our society.
02:23 Today's meeting was called after a sharp spike in the number of women killed under domestic
02:27 violence circumstances this year. Forbes local Molly Ticehurst, who was allegedly killed
02:33 by her former partner last month, was the 25th woman to die through gender based violence
02:39 in Australia this year so far. Her accused killer Daniel Billings was on bail at the
02:45 time of her death. Premier Chris Mins trekked to Forbes in the state's central west yesterday
02:51 to attend her funeral, which was an incredibly sombre occasion full of flowers and photographs.
02:58 The New South Wales Council for Social Services says 2,500 reports of domestic violence are
03:03 handed to police each month in New South Wales. However, that number could be 40% higher due
03:09 to underreporting.
03:10 A couple of days after Molly was killed, the Premier announced that advice would be sought
03:15 from the Crown Advocate in relation to urgent bail reform in relation to bail laws, and
03:21 that advice is expected to be handed down later this month.
03:24 [BLANK_AUDIO]