Member for Burdekin, Dale Last MP, believes victims of domestic and family violence will be offered more support sooner and Police will be able to respond sooner under Legislation to be introduced to parliament.

The former Police Officer said calls for assistance due to domestic and family violence had more than tripled in the last decade and changes were needed to better protect victims and to hold perpetrators to account.

“Sadly, we have seen an immense increase in both the number of calls for help and in the complexity that Police face when they respond,” Mr Last said.  “These changes are in response to recommendations made over the past 10 years and, because those recommendations were ignored, the laws have not kept pace with community expectations.”

“We will empower Police to issue Police Protection Directions (PPD’s) on the spot, meaning there are protections in place more quickly and without the need to go through the court process.  That process puts the onus to comply firmly on the perpetrator and we make no apologies for that.”

“Checks and balances will be put in place to ensure PPD’s are used appropriately including making body-cam footage admissible as evidence.  Not only does that mean less trauma for victims, but it also means incidents can be reviewed as necessary to ensure a fair and just system.”

“The current system can see Police Officers spending an entire shift dealing with a domestic and family violence incident and then, potentially, having to appear in court.  What these changes mean is that, when suitable, Police can issue a PPD and move on to attending other calls for help and assisting other victims.”

“With data from the Queensland Police Union indicating domestic and family violence represents 90% of their workload, improvement is essential not only for victims of domestic and family violence but also for victims of other crime and to enable proactive patrols to deter crime and improve road safety.”

Mr Last went on to explain the changes that would apply to how high-risk domestic and family violence incidents were dealt with, including 24/7 electronic monitoring of repeat offenders.

“While PPD’s will be available for Police to use, high-risk offenders can still be subjected to court orders and can also be subjected to electronic monitoring,” he said.  “When these new powers commence in January, we will have 150 GPS monitoring devices available to track high-risk offenders and to ensure the safety of victims.”

“It’s a sad indictment on our society but an additional 350 devices will be made available as necessary because we are taking this issue seriously.  When we said we wanted to improve safety in Queensland during the election campaign we were serious.”

“Personally, I would prefer if we didn’t need to take these steps, but domestic and family violence can have tragic outcomes and cause lifelong suffering for victims and for children exposed to it.  It is absolutely essential that we equip Police and the judicial system with the tools needed to make a real difference.”

“Just as we did with youth crime, we are taking action to support victims and hold perpetrators to account.”