THERE ARE 763 REASONS TO BE POSITIVE

THERE are 763 reasons the Gold Coast is leading the world when it comes to its response to domestic violence. Each one is a woman who is still alive. Domestic Violence Prevention Centre (DVPC) CEO Rosemary O’Malley says our city may have been infamous for its high rate of domestic violence, but it’s setting an international example when it comes to a successful, integrated response. Ms O’Malley says last year alone the DVPC supported 6000 women with 763 assessed as being at imminent threat of serious assault or death. “All 763 are alive. That’s something to celebrate,” she says. “When we look forward it’s hard to see beyond this huge challenge that is domestic violence, but ... I can see the progress we’re making. “Three years ago, Southport Court didn’t have a magistrate presiding in DV Court, we had judicial registrars, now there are three specialist-magistrates. “There were two DV liaison police officers for all of the Gold Coast, now there is a team of 8 to 13 dedicated officers on the taskforce auditing all DV callouts every day. We had two men’s

rehabilitation programs running and now we have four — although the waiting lists are huge right across Queensland. “For our program, research shows that about 80 per cent of men who complete it stop using violence — although that doesn’t mean they stop using power or control.”

Ms O’Malley says the DVPC is part of the Gold Coast Domestic Violence Integrated Response, which was named by the Council Of Australian Governments as the “gold standard” and is used to inform practice in the UK. However, she says there is always more work to be done.