Amid growing divisions in the domestic and family violence sector about the best way forward, the National Network stands ready with solutions that have long been ignored but remain vital. ‘While debate continues between advocates about strategies, we remain focused on action. The women in our community are suffering from violence at the hands of both the State and intimate partners, and we have no time for people who sit on government panels to undermine the work that is being done or needs to be done. Our community cannot afford delays while lives are on the line,’ said Debbie Kilroy.
‘Approximately 98% of incarcerated women have histories of victimisation and trauma, with close to 85% having been victims of sexual violence. These challenges are exacerbated by criminal records, legal entanglements, and systemic barriers within both the criminal legal system and domestic violence support structures. Yet our community remains largely ignored by this sector,’ said Debbie Kilroy.
‘For too long, domestic violence solutions have relied on carceral responses—failing to address the root causes of violence or provide meaningful support to those most affected. The answers rest at the margins, with voices that have been silenced or overlooked,’ said Tabitha Lean. ‘If the current policy advocates cannot stretch their imaginations beyond punitive systems, they are not equipped to shape the future of domestic violence responses. Continuing to do what we’ve always done will only perpetuate the cycle of harm,’ said Tabitha Lean.
‘When advocates continue to lobby for carceral responses and do not understand the breadth of the community that they are speaking for, they do harm to us,’ said Tabitha Lean. ‘In the criminalised community that we work within, we are witnessing women being misidentified as the perpetrator of coercive control when they report domestic and family violence, and them risking further criminalisation when they engage with the police. Basically, the ‘protection’ we are promised by the State, advocated for by carceral feminists, is being weaponised against us,’ said Tabitha Lean.
‘We call on Commissioner Micaela Cronin to cease depending on white carceral academics, journalists and authors, whose limited frameworks do little to create transformative change,’ said Debbie Kilroy. ‘Like lived experience advocate, Rosie Batty, we believe that Aboriginal women, and the women who are members of organisations such as ours, possess both the lived and academic expertise needed to develop comprehensive solutions. Further, we are ready to implement the solutions now—without further delay or the risk of more women dying due to inaction,’ said Debbie Kilroy.
‘The time for action is now. The National Network is prepared and ready to do the hard work our community needs, but we cannot wait for more lives to be lost while debates continue endlessly in circles,’ said Tabitha Lean. ‘Let us centre and fund the voices and wisdom of those most impacted by this issue. The National Network want to see real and immediate change in this area – the kind of change that is desperately needed in this country,’ said Tabitha Lean.
For further comment, please contact Debbie Kilroy on 0419 762 474 or Tabitha Lean on 0499 780 226
