Taking violence seriously is more complex than a royal commission

Four deaths, in four days.

That was the starting point in May when a Hobart commercial radio host put the idea of a royal commission into violence against women to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

Normally commercial radio is pretty friendly ground for politicians, but not this time.

"I know there is a call for a royal commission into the deaths of women," said Hit Hobart host Christie Hayes, "there's 90 thousand signatures so far… will we see this royal commission?"

The prime minister sighed before Hayes had finished asking, responding "there's calls for a royal commission about everything".

"You gotta work out what does a royal commission do besides fund lawyers?" he said.

Albanese went on to argue the government already has the answers, that the community knows what needs to be done.

But that wasn't the bit that took off on social media or stuck in the heads of those working in the sector and some of his political opponents.

It's the kind of moment any politician or media advisor hopes will, after maybe a couple of days in the news cycle, fade away into the ether.

And in some ways, it did.

Violence against women and children cyclically makes its way back into the news and slips out again, despite one woman being killed by a current or former partner every 11 days on average.

Now here we are again.

Petition gains steam

Three women and a 13 year-old girl were allegedly murdered last week and once again we are in the middle of that cycle, with renewed calls for a royal commission into how domestic, family and sexual violence can be stopped.

The petition referenced on Hit is now at 131,873 signatures.

In the last 40 minutes as I've been writing this, 20 people have added their names.

While many working to end domestic, family and sexual violence don't support the call for a royal commission, they don't entirely back the prime minister's approach either.

On paper, a royal commission is an independent, public inquiry.

But in the collective consciousness, it is also a sign that an issue is of the utmost importance.

That's despite the fact that many of the recommendations from royal commissions are left ignored for years or decades — just ask anyone who worked on the Royal Commission into Institutional Child Sexual Abuse or the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody.

Recommendations that weren't implemented

This is exactly why Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commissioner Micaela Cronin isn't a big backer of a national royal commission.

"What we need to see now is action, coordinated action at a national level that is funded commensurate with the scale of the problem," she said.

Cronin said she understands why people may want one, but she and her team have examined thousands of recommendations already made by more than 25 different inquiries — including royal commissions and inquests — providing practical solutions to stop and respond to violence against women and children.

They found while many recommendations were repeated in report after report, they were never acted upon.

Some of them were made by Cronin herself, in the report of the federal government's own rapid review into how to prevent violence against women and children.

They included a total ban on gambling ads and cutting off alcohol home delivery earlier in the evening, something states and territories committed to examining at an emergency national cabinet meeting in May 2024.

The federal government didn't take that advice on gambling.

And South Australia, the only state that committed to restricting alcohol delivery times, hasn't yet followed through.

The latter was also recommended by the state's own royal commission into domestic, family and sexual violence.

"Here are some very clear, as I've said, clear recommendations, clear actions that government could take right now that would make a difference overnight to improving safety for women and children," Cronin said.

A five-year plan

Cronin is currently working with the federal government on consultation for the second action plan for the decade-long National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children.

If that sounds like bureaucratic word salad, essentially the action plan is a specific road map for how the broad aims of the national plan can be realised over the next five years.

She's heartened by what she's seen so far and hopes it will lead to adequate funding for frontline and early intervention services.

It's part of why she doesn't support a national royal commission, she's concerned it would press pause on actually getting something done.

"I feel like we are really at a turning point where if everybody comes together and unites behind a short list of priorities, that every state and territory in the Commonwealth then resource appropriately, we really could see some dramatic change."

Like Commissioner Cronin, CEO of DV New South Wales Delia Donovan understands the desire for a national royal commission but doesn't think one would be the right call.

"The urgent focus is making sure we can respond to survivors of domestic violence and make sure they're not homeless or sleeping in their cars."

But she was not impressed by the prime minister's response when asked about one in May.

Like others working in the sector, she said while many aspects of tackling violence are complex one aspect of it is simple: money.

That's a matter for state and territories as well as the federal government, who Donovan is also frustrated with for not following readily available recommendations.

"We have the solutions already."

So when the prime minister said a royal commission "funds lawyers" that sticks.

'Australian women want respect'

The topic was handled differently by Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek, who when asked about the prime minister's comments told Radio National in May: "I think the point the prime minister was making is that frontline workers will tell you, we've had eight royal commissions and major inquiries in recent years with more than 1,000 recommendations."

Pressed on the message she thought his tone sent, she said publicly what many women who work with the prime minister say privately about his approach.

"I know Anthony cares about this. He was exposed to domestic violence as a child. He saw his mother exposed to it. He's spoken about that, not often, but he's spoken about that and the toll that that took in his family and on him as a child. It is something that we take seriously, from the PM, right through our government."

No matter what his true feelings are, the prime minister's comments have left room for his political opponents to question whether he really cares about gendered violence and women's affairs more broadly.

The prime minister isn't someone who "gets it" according to independent MP Zali Steggall.

"I don't think he gets that Australian women want respect," she told the ABC last week.

Now, the notion of "getting it" is fairly nebulous and subjective but it's also very easy to get across.

And when we find ourselves back in the same cycle of more deaths and more politicians repeating the same talking points it sticks.

The government has a chance to turn this perception around, with the second five-year action plan expected to be released in the first half of next year.

If the average number of women killed by a current or former partner stays the same over the next six months, before we even reach 2027 12 more women will be dead.

Right now, experts, ministers and staff across the country are working around the clock to try and get it right so those numbers come down.

During question time in the final parliamentary sitting before the midwinter break, the prime minister said the government was listening to frontline workers.

Come next year, we'll find out whether that listening will turn into action and funding.