Joint Submission to the Senate Inquiry into Domestic Violence in Australia

Describing violence against women in Australia as ‘a national tragedy’, the Australian Greens proposal for a Senate Inquiry into Domestic Violence passed the Senate with tri-partisan support on 26th June 2014, and was subsequently referred to the Australian Senate Finance and Public Administration References Committee for inquiry and report by the 27 October 2014. This joint Submission to the ‘Senate Inquiry into Domestic Violence in Australia’, has been written by Carolyn Frohmader (Women With Disabilities Australia) with contribution from Jess Cadwallader (People With Disability Australia) for and on behalf of Women With Disabilities Australia (WWDA); First People’s Disability Network Australia (FPDNA); People with Disability Australia (PWDA); Children with Disability Australia (CDA); and the National Ethnic Disability Alliance (NEDA). The Submission addresses the terms of reference for the Senate Inquiry, and examines: a) the prevalence and impact of domestic violence; b) factors contributing to the levels of domestic violence; c) the adequacy of policy and community responses to domestic violence; d) the effects of policy decisions on the ability of people with disability to escape domestic violence; and, e) how the Federal Government can eliminate violence against women. The Submission includes twelve recommendations, including for example, the urgent need for the Australian Government to commission and fund a National Public Inquiry into Violence Against People with Disability in Institutions, with a specific focus on the gendered nature of such violence, and the multiple forms of violence perpetrated against people with disability in such settings. Copyright September 2014.