Kalgoorlie-Boulder’s women’s refuge CEO believes new domestic violence tracking laws are ‘small step’

The woman at the helm of Kalgoorlie-Boulder’s women’s refuge believes new tracking laws targeting high-risk family violence offenders are only a “small step” in addressing abuse. From this month, some repeat and high-risk family violence perpetrators can be tracked through electronic monitoring when they are released on bail for further allegations of abuse. Premier Roger Cook estimated the tracking would apply to about 550 perpetrators across WA each year after the legislation was introduced to Parliament in June. Goldfields Women’s Refuge chief executive Suzie Williams said she believed the laws would capture only a small portion of the region’s domestic violence offenders. Ms Williams said the tracking laws, like much of the justice system, placed too much accountability on victims to come forward. “The trackers will get the very worst possibly, but then one of the things that relies very heavily on is the woman coming forward and reporting consistently, which is a very, very difficult thing for a woman do,” she said. “We really need to put the accountability for the violence onto the people who are doing it, which is the perpetrators who they’re going to track. “If we could track them a little bit earlier it might save a little bit more misery from going around in the world.” Ms Williams said while it may act as an “additional safeguard” she did not believe the trackers would make perpetrators of domestic violence less likely to reoffend. “If they were willing to change their behaviour, they would engage in men’s behavioural change programs,” she said. “If you do a quick look through Kalgoorlie, you’ll see that not very many people engage in those programs because they don’t believe that they are at fault.” Ms Williams said she welcomed any steps to address domestic violence in the community. “It’s a small step, we need large, progressive steps,” she said. “I think it’s better than nothing, it’s a move in the right direction.” The new laws apply to repeat domestic violence abusers who are charged after having been previously declared “serial offenders” by the court. Those who have family violence restraining orders against them and face allegations of abuse, or who are released from jail early, will also be tracked in the community.