Key Takeaways:
- The Queensland Domestic and Family Violence Death Review and Advisory Board has stopped routinely analyzing new cases of domestic and family violence deaths.
- The board’s last two annual reports do not include detailed case studies, instead focusing on historic cases that fit chosen "focus areas".
- A former board member, Prof Molly Dragiewicz, resigned citing concerns about the board’s change in focus and lack of representation from domestic and sexual violence services and First Nations experts.
- The board’s unit, which reviews cases and provides reports to coroners and the board, has been found to have significant concerns about staff wellbeing, processes, and a lack of expertise.
- A review of the unit in 2020 found that it was ineffective due to resource changes, a lack of staff, and that staff were susceptible to psychological injury.
Introduction to the Issue
The Queensland advisory board responsible for reviewing domestic and family violence deaths has quietly stopped analyzing new cases, raising concerns about the accuracy of the state’s domestic and family violence (DFV) statistics. The board, which is considered a critical part of the state’s response to DFV, has historically analyzed comprehensive reports about all DFV-linked deaths, identified systemic issues, made recommendations for reform, and published detailed anonymized case studies. However, its last two annual reports do not include detailed case studies, instead focusing on mostly historic cases that fit chosen "focus areas".
Concerns About the Board’s Change in Focus
Prof Molly Dragiewicz, a DFV researcher, resigned from the board this year citing concerns about the board’s change in focus away from comprehensive and timely review of DFV deaths. In her resignation letter, Dragiewicz expressed concerns that the board lacked representation from domestic and sexual violence services and First Nations experts, which presents a challenge for meaningful case analysis and the formulation of pragmatic recommendations to improve practice, policy, and procedure to prevent future deaths. Betty Taylor, the founder of DFV charity the Red Rose Foundation and a former death review board member, also expressed concerns that the board had stopped "centring women’s experiences" and that thorough reviews of cases are necessary to understand what has gone wrong.
The Unit’s Ineffectiveness
The board is supported by a unit of coronial staffers and a representative of the Queensland police service, who review cases and provide reports to coroners and the board. However, a review of the unit in 2020 found significant concerns about staff wellbeing, processes, and a lack of expertise. The review found that the unit had been ineffective due to resource changes, a lack of staff, and that staff were susceptible to psychological injury. Multiple people familiar with the unit’s work say its operation has become "significantly worse" since the review, and have raised concerns that problems with cases are not being picked up. A whistleblower from within the coroner’s court, Elsie, reported concerns about the unit’s ineffectiveness, including that staff were "so traumatised and distressed" that one started to lose their hair in clumps and another expressed suicidal thoughts.
Lack of Accountability and Transparency
The coroner’s court of Queensland did not respond directly when asked if the data was being kept in a spreadsheet, instead stating that there had been "investment in leadership data capability" at the coroner’s court registry. Kate Pausina, a former senior detective, worked periodically as the police liaison to the unit and says that the liaison position was often vacant, including at the time of the murders of Hannah Clarke, Doreen Langham, and Kelly Wilkinson – cases in which there have been documented police failings. Pausina says that on one occasion, when she returned from a four-week holiday, she found 18 deaths during that period in which there was a history of domestic and family violence but which "weren’t looked at or reported at all".
Conclusion and Call to Action
The Queensland Domestic and Family Violence Death Review and Advisory Board’s decision to stop routinely analyzing new cases of domestic and family violence deaths raises serious concerns about the accuracy of the state’s DFV statistics and the effectiveness of the state’s response to DFV. The board’s change in focus, lack of representation from domestic and sexual violence services and First Nations experts, and the unit’s ineffectiveness all contribute to a lack of accountability and transparency in the coronial system. It is essential that the board returns to its core function of reviewing all DFV deaths, and that the unit is properly resourced and supported to ensure that cases are thoroughly analyzed and recommendations for reform are made. The public and professionals must be educated about domestic and family violence, and the voices of survivors and dead women must be heard to prevent future deaths.
