While the recent recommendations of Victoria’s Royal Commission into Family Violence are a major step forward, a vast amount of work still needs to be done to keep women and children safe.

The Victorian Government has shown immense courage and leadership.

First in its decision to have a royal commission into the problem and then by reaffirming its commitment to implement all 227 of the resulting report’s recommendations.

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But both the commission and the Andrews government can only make recommendations and changes in their own state.

Which leaves five states, two territories and a whole country with potentially outdated systems which, left unchecked, could place women and children at risk.

We simply cannot allow a situation to develop whereby women and children are at greater risk of harm merely because they don’t happen to live in Victoria.

Which is why the Federal Government must be willing to follow Victoria’s lead and make wholesale changes to family violence support systems and services – if not for the sake of political expediency, then for the sake of the hundreds of thousands of women and children across Australia.

One in six Australian women has experienced violence from a current or former partner. Photo: Getty

Every day they’re being beaten, kicked, threatened, or otherwise hurt by a person who is meant to love and care for them

Malcolm Turnbull’s government must act now to demonstrate it too is dedicated to the elimination of violence in the home.

First, as a priority, the Federal Government must establish a royal commission into the Family Court of Australia.

As Victoria’s frontline family violence service, each day we hear horror stories from women navigating the family law system after leaving an abusive relationship.

The message is clear – a thorough re-working of the family law system is imperative if any real progress is to be made to stop domestic violence.

‘Another weapon’

Overwhelmingly, survivors are telling us the Family Court is being used as yet another weapon against them by their family violence perpetrator.

This is hardly surprising when statistics show 60 per cent of families in the Family Court system have been identified as experiencing family violence.

Despite legislative changes over the past five years, the reality is the entitlement of perpetrators to have access to their children often trumps the right of children and their mothers to be safe from violence.

Frequently women tell us court orders made in the Family Court contradict or confuse orders made in state-based Magistrate’s Courts which are designed to keep them safe.

Quite simply, the current, federally-based family law system does not integrate well with State and Territory systems. This needs to change.

Australian of the Year Rosie Battie on her way to give evidence at the family violence royal commission. Photo: Getty

This, coupled with the fact that vulnerable women are routinely exposed to cross-examination by perpetrators in the Family Court and Federal Circuit Court, means the Family Court system is in urgent need of a royal commission.

But it’s not just the family law system that needs to be changed.

The Commonwealth Government needs to make sure women on temporary visas – many of whom do not speak English, do not have friends or family in the country, and do not know their rights – are safe from family violence.

Women on temporary visas need access to income, housing and support services (including legal support) in order to be safe.

Under the current system, 80 per cent of people in crisis accommodation – because they cannot access refuges or housing – are there because they do not have permanent residency.

All this needs to be underpinned by the establishment of separate, dedicated stream of Federal funding specifically to respond to domestic and family violence, with an immediate injection of funding across the country.

I’m optimistic that, as more details come to light and recommendations are implemented, we will continue to build on the promise of the Victorian commission in keeping women and children safe.

The true measure of the coyal Commission’s success will be survivors’ experience of an improved service and, ultimately, a reduction in family violence over generations – so one day it’s something we talk about that used to happen.

But, for women and children to be truly free from violence and abuse, the Federal Government must follow the leadership shown by the Victorian Premier, Daniel Andrews.

Annette Gillespie is the Chief Executive Officer of safe steps Family Violence Response Centre.  She has worked in the family violence sector at an international level for over 20 years and has extensive experience designing and leading family violence response models both in Australia and in New Zealand.