Prevention and early intervention were key points of focus for South Australia's Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Royal Commissioner Natasha Stott-Despoja in the release of her report.
00:00Commissioner thank you for joining me pleasure you've said that some of the stories you heard
00:07during the Royal Commission will haunt you forever what was it about those stories that
00:11left such an impression not only the harrowing nature and the the really sad and awful things
00:17that happen to people and the fact that they could have been prevented that's obviously
00:22something that stays with me but just the pervasiveness of this violence these things
00:28do haunt me but they also propel me to try and make a difference you've called for a systemic
00:34overhaul of how South Australia responds to domestic family and sexual violence do you
00:39think the government's treating this with the urgency it requires well I'm hopeful and certainly
00:46I thought yesterday's announcement by the premier was a good start I'm not expecting a government
00:51to instantly accept 136 recommendations in fact that's fraught but the ones that they've decided
00:58to adopt to begin with are about that critical governance piece and I think that means they're
01:04taking it seriously in the report you mentioned that the government had spent 1.9 billion dollars
01:10on the Royal Commission into early childhood education and that you called for a similar level
01:15of ambition and investment do you think that the government has a desire to put up that amount
01:22of money for this inquiry well I would hope that they are more ambitious but it's not just about
01:29investment although a significant investment is required there's no question about that but we
01:35couldn't even really find out the extent of expenditure obviously there's many recommendations that you've made
01:41but is there one or a group of recommendations that you're most proud of I'm pleased that the government
01:48has accepted we need a state strategy for domestic family and sexual violence it's inappropriate outrageous that
01:55we don't have one in South Australia the only jurisdiction that doesn't have one in South Australia behind other states when it comes to banning
02:03corporal punishment on children smacking children or use of corporal punishment doesn't necessarily lead to abuse but certainly we heard stories where it's used as an excuse for abuse and in some cases awful abuse
02:17I know a lot of people will say wrap on the knuckles or wooden spoon it's not just about the act itself it's the symbolism that we say in Australia today you can hit your child to discipline them surely there are better ways
02:35Commissioner thank you for joining me thank you
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