Inquiry highlights gaps in family violence data collection

A PARLIAMENTARY inquiry has highlighted the challenges faced by support services to gather and collate data on the perpetrators of family violence.

The inquiry, established in March last year to investigate the mechanisms used to collect this data to determine how a “holistic” understanding of the cohort can be achieved, tabled its final report last week outlining 61 recommendations.

Chief among them the establishment of a system-wide process to correct misidentification, expansion of data collection to include a broader cross-section of people who use family violence and a new mechanism to provide oversight and continuous improvement to the data collection systems in use.

Committee chair and Lara MP Ella George said family violence was one of the most pressing social issues facing Victoria, one that is “pervasive and perpetrated by people from all walks of life”.

“Victim survivors deserve a system that prioritises their safety and wellbeing while holding people who use family violence accountable for their behaviour.

“During the inquiry, it was made abundantly clear to the committee that collecting family violence data, including about those who use family violence, is complex.”

This data, she said, is held in multiple places, by multiple organisations and is often not comprehensive enough to provide a complete picture of family violence, with continuous improvement needed to “reduce fragmentation and inconsistencies in reporting” and to improve “data linkage across different systems”.

“Improving how governments, agencies, relevant sectors and systems capture data on people who use family violence will increase understanding about why people use family violence,” Ms George said.

“Better information about the drivers, behaviours and patterns of people who use family violence can then be used to improve the effectiveness of interventions and prevention strategies.”

The inquiry also called for greater attention on elder abuse, with recommendations outlined targeting improvements in data collection to identify risk factors, possible points of intervention and the long-term impacts of this “often-hidden form of family violence”.

“This report underscores the collective responsibility we all share in minimising, addressing and preventing family violence,” Ms George said.

“By adopting a strategic and whole-of-system approach, Victoria can continue to lead the way in building an evidence base that informs meaningful change and long-term prevention efforts.”