Get Involved - Parliament

Domestic and Family Violence

Published on: May 2025

Record: HANSARD-1323879322-152736

Domestic and Family Violence

Ms FELICITY WILSON (North Shore) (20:35:32):

Domestic and family violence is the crisis that continues to devastate families and women across New South Wales, including in my own community. Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Month is a time to reflect on the progress we have made and, more urgently, to confront the challenges that remain. The statistics are stark and deeply troubling. Over the past decade, domestic violence-related assaults in New South Wales have increased by an average of 3.1 per cent annually. In Greater Sydney the rate is slightly lower at 2.7 per cent, but it still represents a significant upward trend. Domestic violence-related deaths in New South Wales reached a grim total of 39 in 2024, including 16 women and 10 children. That marks a stark increase on the 25 deaths in 2022 and underscores the escalating severity of the issue.

In my own community, in the North Sydney local government area, from January to December last year, 155.5 domestic violence‑related assaults were recorded per 100,000 people. Members all know those numbers are not just statistics. They represent women, mothers, daughters, children, fathers, brothers and friends who have lost their lives due to violence, and it is preventable violence. It is our duty to ensure we do everything we can to protect the most vulnerable. My community is feeling the impact of the crisis. Our local support services are overwhelmed by increasing demand for assistance. Despite the rise in these incidents, the response from the Police Force needs additional resources.

The number of compliance checks on apprehended domestic violence orders has declined significantly from 117,803 in 2022 to 96,886 in 2024. The reduction is partly due to understaffing. The Police Force is currently short of its authorised strength of over 2,000 officers. The failure to properly enforce apprehended domestic violence orders leaves women and children in particular at greater risk, even though the Government has pledged to prioritise the issue. Just last week I was pleased to meet and welcome 11 new probationary constables to the North Shore Police Area Command. It was by far the largest class that I have welcomed in my time as an MP, and I would like to see more. I spoke with those officers, as I do every time I greet new officers, about domestic violence in our society and the role officers play in keeping us safe and creating a culture where women and other victims of domestic violence feel safe to come forward and report.

The criminalisation of coercive control, spearheaded by former Attorney General Mark Speakman, was an important step forward, but it needs to be accompanied by a significant increase in resources and enforcement. The fact that 33 incidents of coercive control were reported in New South Wales in August 2024 alone illustrates the growing recognition of this form of abuse. However, the current system is not sufficient to effectively respond to the new law, and too many victims are falling through the cracks. Aboriginal communities in particular are disproportionately affected by domestic violence. Aboriginal women are eight times more likely to be the victims of domestic violence-related assaults than non-Aboriginal women. This is a crisis within a crisis and it demands urgent culturally appropriate resources and responses that reflect the unique challenges faced by people in these communities.

Transcription in progress…