00:01This video contains content that may be confronting.
00:07This trip down memory lane is tainted with pain for Leanne Casley,
00:13but perhaps even more so for her mum Lorraine.
00:17It's awful to watch someone you love go through pain like that
00:22and then it has an impact on your confidence
00:25and the ability to love anyone again.
00:28She's never been in a long-term relationship with anyone since then.
00:32She still lives on her own and that's lonely.
00:35Lorraine endured years of abuse at the hands of her second husband.
00:39Leanne was barely a teenager.
00:41He drank a lot and was violent. It was awful.
00:46Still Lorraine stuck it out.
00:48The stigma of another failed marriage weighing heavily until...
00:52One night he came home and it was just on for young and old
00:55and he threatened my brother for the first time
00:58and that's when mum said, that's it, we've got to go.
01:01Leanne's Aunty Lou is also a survivor of unimaginable trauma.
01:05This was Aunty Lou's husband. He was the bad fella.
01:08Her third husband controlled her every move,
01:11isolating her from family and friends.
01:14And then it got to the point where there was no way we could sort of get her alone
01:19and she was just stuck in this relationship
01:22and I didn't know until years later that he would put sleeping tablets in her coffee at night time
01:30and rape her at night.
01:32It was with her mum and auntie in mind that Leanne offered the assembly a raw and rare insight into her childhood.
01:40Those experiences explain why Leanne is now such a fierce advocate for victims of family violence
01:47and the need to criminalise coercive control.
01:51We've got to take action sooner rather than later.
01:53How many more people need to die?
01:55Coercive control is a pattern of behaviour used to entrap someone in a relationship.
02:00It can include manipulation, isolation, monitoring and financial control
02:06as well as intimidation and constant criticism.
02:10It's harmful on its own but is also a factor in almost all intimate partner homicides.
02:17Our frontline officers are responding to 11 family violence incidents every day.
02:21The current legal framework means police only have the power to arrest and charge a perpetrator
02:27if there's evidence of physical violence.
02:30Criminalising coercive control would change that.
02:33If the person was able to articulate those experiences, those coercive control behaviours
02:38to the point where they met the legislation under this new proposal
02:42then we would be able to actually arrest and prosecute that person with the coercive control itself
02:48as opposed to the violence that might arise from it.
02:53It's a move the force is backing even though it's likely to increase their workload.
02:58Absolutely because family violence and domestic violence thrives in silence as they say
03:02and the most powerful thing we can do as a community is to speak up
03:05and we want people to speak up and shine that light really brightly on the issue.
03:11The ACT government had been resistant to the question of criminalisation
03:17but in March indicated a newfound openness to the prospect.
03:21The Legislative Assembly passed a motion making a commitment to legislate on coercive control
03:27but not going so far as to say it will become a standalone offence.
03:32A key consideration will be the effectiveness of coercive control laws in other jurisdictions
03:38including New South Wales and Queensland.
03:41How would you describe the ACT government's progress on this topic?
03:46I would call it a little bit frustratingly slow.
03:49Frances Crimmins heads up YWCA Canberra, a support organisation for women and girls.
03:55Its specialist domestic violence team works directly with victims.
04:00In 90% of cases, coercive control is a factor.
04:05One woman has recently described to her case manager
04:10that she is controlled in all aspects of her life.
04:14When she can use the telephone, when she can leave the house,
04:18how long she can shower, her sleep is monitored
04:22and if she doesn't meet any of these targets set for her, she's punished.
04:27Frances says the current laws are failing victims.
04:31Women are being murdered.
04:33Coercive control is present in 95% of those cases.
04:37This is why we need to start taking action now.
04:40There is some work underway.
04:43Intimidation. Monitoring. Financial control.
04:46A coercive control education campaign started last month
04:51and a progress report on plans for legislative change is due by September.
04:56Another critical piece of the puzzle will be police training.
05:01Given the complexity of the crime type
05:04and the type of investigation that would be required
05:08and the nuance of that crime type,
05:10it's going to be really important that police are appropriately trained in it as well.
05:13Family violence expert Hayley Boxall cautiously supports criminalisation
05:18but warns against seeing it as the entire solution.
05:22It's a very symbolic gesture, I think, to kind of go,
05:25no, coercive control is as detrimental as other forms of domestic and family violence
05:30that we have criminalised previously.
05:33And so I think it is very much about trying to keep the legislation up to date.
05:38Even if it doesn't end up with an immediate prosecution,
05:42it's given a woman confidence to come forward.
05:45and police the power to act.
05:55If you or anyone you know was affected by this video,
05:58please contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or 1800 RESPECT 1800 737 732.
06:07And this is the video part.
06:08How much does this come to date?
06:09We have a place where we will go.
06:10How much does this happen?
06:11How much does this happen?
06:13There is a place where we are.
06:14All right.
06:15I think it's so much about that.
06:16We'll see you there.
06:17I think it's very much about it and it's very interesting.
06:18So we can take a look at Luke's house.
06:19We're going to use.
06:20We are going to take a look at Luke's house.
06:21You're going to take a look at Luke's house until the beginning.
06:23I think the rooms and the rooms for us are going to start.
06:26And if it is hopefully not enough,
06:28I'll take a look at Luke's house.
06:30There's not even the room.
06:32I think we're going to play this.
06:33I'm going to throw this into place.
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