Wednesday, 16 March 2016
NORTHERN Tablelands MP Adam Marshall has today welcomed the introduction of model laws in NSW that will hold domestic violence perpetrators accountable nationwide.
“These model laws mean that Domestic Violence Orders issued to protect victims and their families in our region will be automatically recognised and enforced across State and Territory borders,” Mr Marshall said.
In December 2015, the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) agreed each State and Territory would introduce model laws to automatically recognise and enforce Domestic Violence Orders across Australia, including New Zealand orders registered in Australia.
“I am proud to be part of a government that treats domestic violence like the crime it is, with NSW leading the nation as the first State or Territory to bring a bill to parliament,” Mr Marshall said.
“The national recognition scheme will improve information sharing across borders, and better protect the safety of victims if they choose to move interstate.”
This means the NSW Police Force will be able to work more closely with their interstate counterparts to target, monitor and reduce domestic violence offending.
A victim will no longer need to register an interstate order in a NSW court, which can be traumatising for victims and potentially alert a perpetrator to their new location.
The Attorney General Gabrielle Upton said she was proud to introduce the new laws.
“I call on the other States and Territories to fast track their adoption of these new model laws as soon as possible,” Ms Upton said.
“I look forward to taking this up with my Federal and State and Territory counterparts next month at the Law, Crime and Community Safety Council (LCCSC) meeting in Queenstown.”
COAG and the LCCSC are overseeing the establishment of an interim national information sharing system for Domestic Violence Orders, which will be used to develop a comprehensive model for sharing information across jurisdictions.