00:02Sarah was physically, emotionally and financially abused by her husband for years.
00:08There was a lot of emotional abuse, there was financial abuse and then the physical.
00:14The physical got quite bad.
00:17Where's my bubba's?
00:18She took out an intervention order against him and he was later convicted on five charges
00:23related to family violence.
00:24But it wasn't until she went through that court process, Sarah found out her husband was a repeat offender.
00:31She was shocked to learn she was the fourth woman to take out an intervention order against him.
00:36If I'd known that even at the start of the relationship I wouldn't have packed up my life and moved
00:42in.
00:43As it stands, Victorians have no way of knowing if their partner has a history of domestic violence
00:48until they apply for an intervention order.
00:51But there are calls for the state to adopt a scheme similar to South Australia
00:56where residents can check with authorities to find out if their partner had a violent past.
01:02Implemented in 2018, South Australia's police service says it's working
01:07with more than 4,000 people making an application under the scheme.
01:11If we believe there is the person is at risk of harm or abuse, they can make an informed decision
01:18and I'm confident that has led to people making safe decisions about their future.
01:24In areas like East Gippsland where Sarah's from, authorities know domestic violence is on the rise.
01:31The region has the highest family violence rate in the state, more than double the state average.
01:37We have a system that is overwhelmed with family violence reports
01:44and we know that the reports are only the tip of the iceberg.
01:49Sarah says she's hopeful a change will save others from what she went through.
01:53I just think it would help so, so many in the future.
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01:588 BRANZ
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02:028 AM
02:02You
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