Queensland Law Reform Commission Reviews Domestic Violence Disclosure System

The Queensland Government hopes to establish a way to protect potential victims of domestic violence through a public register of offenders.

The government has asked the Law Reform Commission to look into the possibility of making a public register for domestic violence offenders.

The commission said it will review and investigate if potential victims might be protected from someone, or either their current or former partner, who might have a history of violent criminal offences.

A domestic violence disclosure scheme (DVDS) is currently being trialled in New South Wales, and is also under consideration in the Northern Territory and South Australia, and was also considered “” but not introduced “” in Western Australia and Victoria.

The Queensland Women’s Legal Service’s Angela Lynch said the scheme would be an expensive and ineffective exercise.

“Is this worth investing in? What really is going to be the positive effect?” she asked.

Ms Lynch said she feared it could give people a false sense of security, because victims often do not report domestic violence. “We know that many perpetrators of violence don’t actually have anything public or criminal action isn’t taken against them,” she said.

In Queensland, Commission chairperson Justice David Jackson said that the commission has already released a consultation paper and called for public submissions, which close on February 3, 2017. “The consultation paper gives an overview of the relevant legal issues in the review, and asks a number of specific questions including whether Queensland should introduce a domestic violence disclosure scheme and if such a scheme is introduced in Queensland, how it should operate,” he said.

The independent body will also see if a balance could be found between protection of victims and the aim of Australia’s criminal justice system for offenders to be rehabilitated.

Source: Abc.net.au