Former Director of Public Prosecutions Stephen Pallaras KC has urged the South Australian Government to act swiftly on the findings of the Royal Commission into Domestic Violence, declaring the time for talk is over.
With the Commission’s report set to be released early next month, Pallaras — who is contesting a seat in the Upper House as an independent at the next state election — said the drawn-out process must now deliver tangible reforms.
“This has been an expensive and drawn-out exercise while family and domestic violence has continued to escalate,” he said in a media release.
“What can we hope to learn from it? We should hope at least to learn something that we don’t already know.”
Pallaras said many of the issues have been widely recognised for years: traumatising legal processes for victims, fragmented and under-resourced support services, and a justice system that fails to respond to domestic violence.
“We do not need to be told that our systems are failing those who need them the most,” he said.
Pallaras added that the public deserved to hear how the justice system will better protect women, and how support services will become more accessible.
“What we expect and insist upon is the Commissioner’s advice on how to re-shape our policies, laws and support mechanisms to assist the ever-growing number of victims in our State,” he said.
Pallaras has long advocated for a specialised domestic violence court with trauma-informed procedures, specific and specialised training for police, judges and prosecutors, stronger protections around bail and parole, and a review of law that re-victimise women, particularly in cases involving sexual assault and coercive control.
He said that while the Royal Commission will soon conclude, it must mark the beginning of significant structural change.
“The end of this Royal Commission must, above all, be the beginning of real change in South Australia,” he said.
Pallaras has made combating domestic violence a key platform of his Upper House campaign.
