GLITTER STRIP HIDING AN UGLY TRUTH

Sexual assault is a growing problem on the Gold Coast and remains one of the most under-reported crimes in our community – it’s time for the Government to step up

THE Gold Coast talks often about its shiny sexy image. But we never talk much about the dark side, the rapidly rising number of sexual assaults. We are burying our heads in the sand on this.

Part of the problem is domestic violence gets confused with sexual assaults. We have a specialist DV court at Southport, a new police taskforce kicking goals.

Even the Premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, referred to DV when asked a question in Parliament this week about sexual violence funding.

LNP frontbencher Ros Bates referred to the latest police data which showed a record 50 women here were re- porting sex crimes each month. What was the Government’s response to funding future services?

The victims ranged from a 16-year-old who woke up after a house party to find herself without clothes and that several boys had recorded sexual sessions with her on Snapchat.

An 80-year-old woman at a retirement village was cornered and sexually abused by a worker. A 45-year-old arrived in the emergency department after her partner strangled her.

What is being done with funding services? Your columnist approached Di Macleod, who’s had 35 years at the coalface at the Gold Coast Centre for Sexual Violence.

Six of her eight staffers were away with the flu. The service’s last significant funding increase was in 1994. DV support providers nearby are getting six times more money.

“We need to have a look at a review of what is happening. We need a specific approach to it like we have with domestic violence,” Ms Macleod said.

In the past weeks, there have been important visitors for private talks. Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence Minister Shannon Fentiman dropped by, so did some Opposition frontbenchers. An election is due before the end of the year.

Ms Macleod prepared briefing notes. The MPs were told sexual violence was the most committed, least reported and least punished of all crimes.

In Queensland, there has been a 25 per cent decrease in complaints going to trial in the past three years.

“There have been some changes along the way, including the development of Victim Assist Queensland and the protection of counselling notes, but so many barriers in access to justice for adult victims of sex crimes remain,” Ms Macleod told the MPs.

“I believe it’s time for a systems review and rethink of a specialist rape court.”

Do we need more specialist services when there is the new Southport court and DV police taskforce? Part of that answer is to consider recent reforms interstate and overseas.

MPs were told NSW has dedicated courts with trained staff, separate entrances for victims and trained prosecutors to handle cases from bail to trial.

Sexual assault cases are given listing priority and must be set down within four months of committal. The victim has a support person and gives evidence via CCTV.

Coast service providers fear the MPs may respond by simply offering tough law reform aimed at putting perpetrators behind bars for much longer.

They were given, before they left, one final statistic. A physically abused woman subjected to sexual violence was seven times more likely to be killed.

This is the untold story behind some of the Coast’s most recent murders. Coronial hearings in the next 12 months will hear about the lack of help for victims. A wider solution must be found now.