Proposed changes to Victorian legislation to prevent young people “ageing out” of Family Violence Intervention Orders (FVIOs) has been welcomed by Mallee Accommodation and Support Program (MASP).
Victorian Attorney General Sonya Kilkenny confirmed to The Guardian Australia the State Government will take action on the issue, which was raised in a letter in 2022 by Mildura-raised Deputy Chair of the Victim Survivors’ Advisory Council (VSAC) Conor Pall who urged changes to the law, in Parliament this year.
MASP Manager – Family Safety Dani Edwards said the changes were a necessary step to ensure young people remained protected by the system.
“As Conor has rightly pointed out, a young person doesn’t age out of fear or age out of risk, they should not have to re-apply for FVIOs simply because they legally become an adult,” Ms Edwards said. “These changes will help victim-survivors avoid the unnecessary repeat trauma of going through the process to have a FVIO put in place.”
Loopholes allowing alleged people using violence to avoid being served with an FVIO – including when they are already in custody – will also be reportedly targeted by the legislation, which will also enable Victoria to issue FVIOs for violence which occurred interstate.
“This is particularly crucial to victim-survivors in border towns such as Mildura or Swan Hill, or those who moved for safety reasons,” Ms Edwards said.
The Attorney-General has also confirmed a default two-year length for FVIOs will be introduced to bring Victoria into line with the ACT, New South Wales and Western Australia.
*Conor Pall will be a guest speaker at MASP’s Lunch For Change on September 5. For more information on this event or to purchase a ticket go to https://masp.org.au/change/
