By Belinda Tasker November 24, 2006 THE AUSTRALIAN
A harrowing account of a woman's struggle to escape her abusive husband has sparked calls from NSW Premier Morris Iemma for changes to co-parenting laws for separated parents Under a massive overhaul of family law by the Federal Government in March, judges must consider granting parents equal time with their children after a family break-down.
But Mr Iemma said it appeared the new laws were not working because they ended up, in some cases, having a "pervers" effect on the lives of women and children who had escaped abusive relationships. "I would say that, certainly, the federal authorities ought to heed the message of those victims who are now recounting how a black and white application of a 50:50 (co-parenting) rule, without taking into account circumstances, has the perverse effect of making life worse for the woman and for the child,"' he said. "Rather than making it better, it is actually increasing the harassment and the intimidation and prevents the mother and the child from rebuilding their lives" Mr Iemma made the comments after announcing an extra $28 million, four-year package, to improve support services for victims of domestic violence.
Details of the package were released ahead of tomorrow's White Ribbon Day, which aims to raise awareness of violence against women. Shortly before making his announcement to an audience of domestic violence support groups, Mr Iemma heard one woman's disturbing tale of her battle to escape her abusive husband. The woman said she and her young son left her drug-dependent husband in 2000 after 10 years of emotional, physical and verbal abuse.
But she had been ordered by the Family Court to adhere to a 50:50 shared parenting plan, which she said kept her at the mercy of her abusive ex-husband. "Although the court ordered 50:50 parenting, these circumstances are not reflected in real life" she said. "These orders do not fit into narrow, predefined pigeon holes."
The NSW opposition's spokeswoman on women's issues, Catherine Cusack, said the State Government needed to do more to prevent deaths related to domestic violence. She called on the Government to set up a domestic violence homicide review team to mirror the work of the NSW child deaths review team. "The NSW Domestic Violence Committee Coalition and NSW Women's Refuge Movement have been calling for a review team, and drawing attention to the domestic violence-related deaths of at least 16 NSW women this year," she said.
Meanwhile, Federal Opposition Leader Kim Beazley pledged to set up a national council on violence against women and children if Labor wins government next year. "A Beazley Labor government will draw a line in the sand on domestic violence and sexual assault and provide the national leadership needed to address these terrible crimes," he said. "The Howard Government's piecemeal approach is not working. Programs are funded then abandoned, advertising campaigns are started then scrapped, and funds whittled away and redirected," Mr Beazley said.