Minister for Women and the Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence Katrine Hildyard has held a range of key meetings in Scotland, the first jurisdiction to establish coercive control laws, as South Australia works toward historic legislation that will criminalise this insidious form of domestic violence in South Australia.

An evaluation of the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018 and its progress was a significant area of discussion in a roundtable organised with the Scottish Government’s Justice Directorate and its Violence Against Women and Girls Unit.

The roundtable offered insight into the successes and challenges Scotland has experienced in both the passage of legislation and implementation as the pioneers of coercive control legislation. This will be valuable in helping South Australia develop a roadmap as the Malinauskas Government continues its consultation for its own bill.

Coercive control legislation was also key to talks with Scotland’s non-government sector. Minister Hildyard met with Scottish Women’s Aid and Edinburgh Women’s Aid to hear the perspective of local organisations tasked with countering domestic violence and coercive control.

Characterised by a range of behaviours where a perpetrator intentionally controls their partner through fear, intimidation and manipulation, removing agency and independence, the impacts and dangers of coercive control are often underestimated.

A New South Wales report showed that coercive controlling behaviours were present in more than 99 per cent of domestic homicides[1].

The Malinauskas Government has committed to introducing legislation that will criminalise coercive control, with community consultation currently underway in South Australia as it progresses toward a bill.

Feedback can be provided until 10 October by visiting YourSAy.

Quotes

Attributable to Katrine Hildyard

We want our South Australian legislation to criminalise coercive control to effectively deal with this horrific form of domestic violence. We want it to make a profound difference in the lives of those who experience it.

We are determined to do all that we can to help prevent and eradicate domestic violence and have a comprehensive legislative, policy and community engagement plan to do so. Our legislation to criminalise coercive control is a central part of this plan.

Learning from other jurisdictions about how they have progressed change is really important. The insights I have gained already from the Scottish experience of criminalising coercive control will be invaluable as we progress this crucial change.

I am very grateful to the many people who have taken time to share those experiences with us, and also to wholeheartedly encourage our Government in our endeavours.

Public consultation for our draft bill continues until 10 October and I encourage everyone to have their say. This consultation sits alongside our ‘See the Signs’ awareness raising campaign.

We want every South Australian to know what coercive control is, how to seek help and how they can help raise awareness and be involved in prevention. We want to make sure we deliver the best possible legislation.
________________________________________
[1] NSW Domestic Violence Death Review Team (2020). ’Report 2017-2019.’ P. 154.