Addressing ‘a real failure’: 136 changes needed as SA’s DV horror laid bare
The findings from a lengthy enquiry into domestic, family and sexual violence in SA have been handed down, with a new standalone ministerial portfolio and other commitments agreed to today.
The Commission handed down 136 recommendations today, with seven immediately committed to by the state government.
This includes: establishing a standalone ministerial portfolio to focus on domestic, family and sexual violence, establishing a government steward, developing a five-year statewide strategy and requiring KPIs for senior leadership committee staff that work in these areas.
The government has also committed to establishing a Lived Experience Advisory Network for adults and children, which will provide advice to the minister.
Currently, Katrine Hildyard holds the portfolio of Women & the Prevention of Domestic, Family & Sexual Violence, but the first recommendation is to decouple the violence and women’s portfolio.
Commissioner Natasha Stott Despoja AO said these should be separated because while women and children are disproportionately affected by domestic, family and sexual violence, “this is not a women’s issue”.
She said this change will emphasise that addressing violence is a “whole of government” and “whole of community” responsibility and that it’s broader than prevention.
“As important as prevention of this violence is, we need someone who has responsibilities across the board, prevention, early intervention, intervention, support services, recovery, so all of those issues would be covered in the ministry in its own right, not only the substance of which is important, but the symbolism of that, we believe sends a strong message,” she said.
When asked how much it would cost to implement these recommendations, Despoja said, “I can’t put a dollar on it, and that’s not the role of this Commission”.
In the 2025-26 state budget, $3 million was allocated to be spent over two years to coordinate the government’s response to the Royal Commission into Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence.
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The Premier said while implementing the recommendations would be costly, he did not put a dollar figure on what the government anticipated spending beyond what was already allocated in the state budget.
“We will now assess the recommendations that have cost implications and do the work with Treasury to make sure the budget allocation is appropriate to achieve the objectives we have here,” Malinauskas said.
Premier Peter Malinauskas said the recommendations being committed to today will provide the governance structure to thoroughly and considerately address the issues laid out in the Commission’s 700-page report.
In addition to the seven recommendations that will be implemented immediately, Malinauskas said the government intends to establish a 24/7 “central point of engagement around service delivery”, which he said would particularly help those outside of metropolitan Adelaide.
Malinauskas pointed to fragmented service delivery, relieving trauma through repetition, safe accommodation and the justice-seeking experience as areas that stuck out to him from the report.
“In the report, there are some things that you read more than once, which speaks to a real failure,” Malinauskas said.
“One of the things that comes through is women’s experience of dealing with fragmented service delivery, often underfunded service delivery.
“Women, when they’re seeking to engage help from both government and non-government organisations, often have to repeat their story over and over again.
“Reliving trauma through repetition that could otherwise be avoided is a pretty heartbreaking proposition that speaks to one of the really practical recommendations that the government wants to turn its mind to pretty quickly, and that is the establishment of a 24/7, central point of engagement around service delivery.”
Malinauskas said his government aimed to address all recommendations by the end of the year.
The Royal Commission was announced in December 2023, with work beginning in July 2024, examining four key themes: prevention, early intervention, response, recovery and healing.
At the time of writing, Australian Femicide Watch records 45 Australian women and 16 Australian children killed by violence in 2025.
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On average, one woman is killed every nine days by a former or current partner.
The Royal Commission received more than 380 formal submissions, including 10 days of public hearings that heard from 64 witnesses over 48 sessions.
Sessions included engagement in communities like APY Lands, Coober Pedy, Alice Springs, Port Pirie, Port Lincoln, Mount Gambier and more.
Liquor licensing reform
Consumer Affairs Minister Andrea Michaels has been tasked with bringing reform on alcohol delivery rules to cabinet for consideration.
“There is a recommendation in the report that speaks to the need to reform liquor licensing, particularly when you contemplate alcohol delivery,” Malinauskas said.
“This is something that is obviously a new service that the market has developed over recent years in a relatively unregulated format. I think that’s going to change. There’s a recommendation that speaks to that change being a necessary thing.”
Malinauskas said he wants to outline potential changes to licensing today so as not to surprise the industry, and that it’s something the government intends to address quickly.
Supporting justice-seeking
Malinauskas said in regards to the justice system, the experiences laid out in the report were “quite illuminating in a way that I wouldn’t have automatically expected”.
“Women who are victims of domestic violence, their experience in the judicial process is often harrowing, and in a way that, through some practical changes, can be avoided,” he said.
“I think there’s a need for some cultural change within our judicial system.
“We can contemplate how domestic violence cases are handled,
“The idea that domestic violence victims would be physically in the same environment as the alleged perpetrator in the lead-up to a case or a hearing is not acceptable.
“There are some practical recommendations around getting judicial officers to undergo some trauma-informed training that speaks to a cultural change, but then also some practical things we could do around having some appropriate safe rooms or safer accommodation for victims to be [in] before they have to confront their perpetrators.
“These are some obvious things that seem to make a lot of sense, but I’ve got to say, I personally was less familiar with just how confronting the legal process can be, for a woman experiencing domestic violence.”
