Latest news with #FDV
ABC News
5 days ago
- Politics
- ABC News
WA government must ensure adequate funding improvements in domestic violence response
Lynn Cannon's murder at the hands of her estranged husband was among the most shocking instances of domestic violence in WA in recent years. The 51-year-old was stabbed to death nearly three years ago, after her former husband learned she had a new partner and "reacted aggressively". Acting State Coroner Sarah Linton yesterday found police had been too slow to act on information provided by Lynn's family, but acknowledged a range of systemic pressures working against them. Because, for all the ways Lynn was failed, Ms Linton made clear this was about more than one woman. The family and domestic violence (FDV) system in WA had let Lynn down in ways that could result in the deaths of more women, if changes were not made, she concluded. At the heart of it, she said, was how Western Australia, as a state, and each Western Australian, responds to domestic violence. "Every person in the community has a role to play in putting an end to family and domestic violence," she wrote. Ms Linton quoted three sentiments every citizen must "be able to say with confidence" to ensure they are playing their part: Those ideas came straight from the state's System Reform Plan — a map for how domestic violence experts and the government would like to see the sector change over the next four years. It is a bold plan that has been welcomed by those leading the sector. But Ms Linton has reminded the government that it is not only the community that needs to change in line with that plan — it is also those holding the state's purse strings. "I wish to add my support to the need for the implementation of the reform plan to be fully funded," she wrote. "And it must include ensuring that there is ongoing sustainable funding for the government and non-government specialist support services that not only provide crisis support to victim-survivors, but also ongoing support and advocacy. "They are often left at the end of the line when funding is allocated, as they do not have the same presence as the larger government agencies. "But their work on the ground, providing immediate assistance and an ongoing support network to victim-survivors, is vital." The coroner specifically threw her weight behind the calls of Alison Evans, the head of peak body Centre for Women's Safety and Wellbeing, for an "immediate significant funding uplift in frontline areas". "Along with analysis to determine the unmet demand in family and domestic violence crisis response, recovery, and healing with a view to developing a pathway to fund ongoing demand on a sustainable basis," she concluded. That focus on funding is important for a number of reasons. The first is that services are already struggling to cope with demand, at a time when we know domestic violence is severely under-reported. In a statement, Minister for the Prevention of Family and Domestic Violence Jessica Stojkovski said the Labor government had invested more than $500 million in support and prevention efforts since 2017. She said the government had increased refuge capacity by 41 per cent, with more in the pipeline. Yet, support services remain overloaded. If wider efforts to improve the system and encourage more people to seek help are successful, demand will only grow. Secondly, the reforms require — and rely on — better information sharing between the variety of organisations involved in family and domestic violence. The information an individual organisation can provide might be useful, but it is exponentially more valuable when combined to create a full picture of the risks facing a victim-survivor. A similar finding was made as part of WA Police's review of the Floreat double murder-suicide. That information seemingly did not exist in Lynn's case because it does not appear she had reached out to any support services. Instead, police were relying on what they had heard from her family, which, as the coroner noted, may not be the complete picture because "a victim-survivor's support network may not know how to report incidents when they are not the victim". But that information is critical in allowing police to properly respond to the some 60,000 family and domestic violence calls they receive each year — a process they have improved, and have committed to improve further. "While [police] still believe they made the right choices on the night, based upon the information before them, they appeared to agree that more information may have led to different choices," Ms Linton wrote. An improved family and domestic violence system that better supports victim-survivors would attract more information, which could be useful for police in making better assessments. That information would be particularly valuable for making accurate risk assessments during what evidence shows is the highest-risk period for victim-survivors: after they have dared to leave their partner. But collecting and sharing that information takes time and resources, and so requires properly funded services. None of the work the government has promised to do, or which the FDV sector has called on them to do for a long time, is a mystery yet to be worked out. "Research indicates that intimate partner homicides are predictable and thereby, preventable, as very few happen without warning signs," Coroner Linton found. That point is a clear message that protecting victim-survivors from further harm is not some idealistic dream to be realised some day in the distant future. It is an aim within our reach. But realising it requires immediate, meaningful action, both from our governments and the community.
Perth Now
30-07-2025
- Perth Now
Sudden death of Perth Reverend leaves community heartbroken
The Perth Reverend who helped support Floreat's grieving community after the tragic murders of Jennifer and Gretl Petelczyc last year has died. Emily Bowser, who was the Reverend at St Nicholas' Anglican Church in Floreat, died suddenly last week. 'We are shocked and saddened by the news of the sudden death of The Reverend Emily Bowser on 22 July,' Anglican Archbishop Kay Goldsworthy said in a statement to Western Suburbs Weekly. She said the Anglican Church remained in shock at Ms Bowser's death. Ms Bowser, who joined the Floreat parish in February last year, was remembered for her comfort and support to the wider Floreat community in the wake of the Petelczyc tragedy. Rev. Emily Bowser at Nicholas Anglican Church in Berkeley Crescent. Credit: Ross Swanborough / The West Australian 'She led a service of lament and hope at the time and both community leaders and those in the local neighbourhood were able to come together to pray, remember and seek comfort together. 'Anglicans are now keeping Emily and her family in our prayers, thankful for her life and confident in the grace of God's eternal love.' The candlelit vigil in Floreat that followed the shocking double-murder brought together domestic violence-victim survivors and mourners, along with community leaders including then Women's Interests Minister Sue Ellery, Curtin MP Kate Chaney and Perth Lord Mayor Basil Zempilas. The church, just doors away from the crime scene, also opened for mourners who may need 'someone to talk to.' 'The doors are open ... I'm making the church available for all who need it and just someone to talk to if they need it,' Ms Bowser said at the time. 'It's what my calling says to do, and it's what is the right thing to do, to just be present and available for all who might need it ... it's just a matter of caring for people and being with them and alongside them.' The Floreat church, with the assistance of its Family and Domestic Violence Working Group, added a purple bench with information about places of help for those at risk of FDV. In her introduction to the parish last year, Ms Bowser said she was looking forward to meeting everyone and 'walking alongside you over the next two years.' 'I live in the beautiful Perth hills with my husband Simon, my daughter Sophia and two pampered house cats. I also have an adult son who lives away from home,' she wrote. Ms Bowser began training for ministry in 2020 and served in placement with Amana Living in 2022, working alongside the chaplain at St George's Care in Bayswater. She also studied at Murdoch University, graduating with a diploma in theology, and maintained a personal adoration for painting. 'I have loved painting since early childhood and worked in different mediums, including watercolour, egg tempera, and mixed media,' she said. 'I still paint when I have the time, and my art is inspired by my love of nature, history, theology and literature, particularly poetry. I enjoy crafty hobbies such as papercraft, sewing, quilting and embroidery in my free time.'
ABC News
02-05-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch talks down severity of gaps in domestic violence offender GPS monitoring
WA's police commissioner has deflected blame for gaps in the monitoring of the most serious domestic violence offenders, saying he would put them "all behind bars" if it were up to him. WA Labor's flagship family and domestic violence laws mandated electronic bracelets for some serious, repeat perpetrators – but issues relating to the GPS tracking devices meant at least three offenders have been released on bail without them. The laws were designed to add an extra layer of security for victims, with the former attorney-general at the time saying the GPS monitoring would only be lifted in "exceptional circumstances" against a "very high threshold". But last month it was The state government pinned the blame on mobile phone black spots and "technical limitations" while saying the courts and Department of Justice (DOJ) needed time to acclimatise to the new rules. Commissioner faces questions Questioned about the tracking issues on Friday, WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch shifted the focus to the courts. Col Blanch speaks to ABC Radio Perth about the GPS tracking of serious and repeat FDV offenders. ( ABC News: Jake Sturmer ) "The entire conversation has been missed. If someone is carrying too much risk to be in a community, police have vigorously opposed bail at court," he told ABC Radio Perth. "The conversation needs to go back to … 'why is the court bailing high-risk people?' "I don't support high-risk people in our community … sex offenders or family violence offenders, they should be behind bars when there is a risk posed. "If an electronic monitor is taken off someone and they pose an immediate risk, they're probably too high risk for us, but that is a decision for the courts, not police." The commissioner's stance mirrors comments made by WA Premier Roger Cook in the wake of the revelations about issues with GPS tracking outside of Perth. "Quite frankly, if the courts cannot make an arrangement whereby an accused serial domestic violence offender cannot be properly monitored, they need to be put behind bars," he said on April 15. 'Just technical stuff' Documents seen by the ABC have revealed Photo shows Man in suit behind podium and microphone talking. A letter has revealed just how the implementation of WA's domestic violence strategy targeting repeat offenders went so badly wrong. It included a letter from Corrective Services Commissioner Brad Royce to the police commissioner stating the DOJ "will not recommend or support" GPS tracking outside of Perth. Commissioner Blanch said the issue boiled down to "administrative issues with the technology". "We need to fix the machine, there's something wrong, it's not charging properly, needs a better battery, whatever. Just technical stuff," he said. "Because of the increase in volume [of FDV offenders being required to wear the bracelets] and because of the increase in technical faults, albeit small, they've said 'we're struggling to get people into regional areas at times to fix these small technical faults'." "If there's a deliberate breach by the offender, police are rolling 24/7, we are out —we're capturing these people who breach. "But if there's something wrong from an IT perspective or administrative function that needs fixing, sometimes staff are not available after hours from Department of Corrections to do that, and Corrections saw that as a risk." Corrective Services Minister Paul Papalia said on Thursday there had been updated advice from the corrective services commissioner to the courts asking for "additional conditions" to be considered outside of GPS tracking. In the letter, which the minister provided to the ABC, Commissioner Royce stated electronic monitoring was only suitable for accused offenders who were eligible for bail in any case. Loading
