Tony Abbott Appoints Rosie Batty to Government Panel

Australian of the Year Rosie Batty has been appointed by Tony Abbott to a panel that will address the problem of violence against women at a national level.

Batty and retiring Victorian Police Commissioner, Ken Lay, were both announced as founding members of an Advisory Panel that will guide the 2015 Council of Australian Government (COAG).

Abbott made the announcement just days after Batty, who has become a renowned domestic violence campaigner after her son Luke was killed by his father, was named Australian of the Year and said that the names of other panel members would be revealed at a later date.

“Building on the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children, the Commonwealth will seek the agreement of all states and territories to prioritise the implementation of a national Domestic Violence Order (DVO) scheme,” Abbott said.

“Under the scheme, if a protection order is issued in one state, it will apply in all states. Work on a national DVO scheme commenced in 2014 and it must be a priority for COAG.

“Development of national standards for how we intervene against perpetrators and hold them accountable will also be a priority.”

Abbott said the COAG will also consider introducing a national approach to dealing with online safety and the misuse of technology to protect women against newer forms of abuse.

“Every week in Australia a woman is killed by a current or former partner and one in three women over the age of 15 experience physical violence in their lifetime,” he said.

“Important work is already being done to prevent violence and assist women. I commend those who are contributing to these efforts, however, the current system is fragmented.

“We must ensure systems across Australia work effectively to provide better, more integrated support to women and we must simplify the complex maze of services victims of domestic and family violence are expected to navigate.”

Batty was also announced as an ambassador for Our Watch, a Not for Profit that has been established to drive nation-wide change in the culture, behaviours and attitudes that lead to violence against women and children.

Our Watch Chair, Natasha Stott Despoja, said Batty had been chosen for being a champion for positive social and systemic change.

“Rosie has been a tireless advocate for the rights of survivors of family violence,” Stott Despoja said.

“She has helped ensure family violence is top of the policy agenda. Rosie makes clear that this violence transcends social status, post code and ethnicity.

“Our Watch is privileged to have Rosie join our team as an Ambassador. Australians will learn from her experiences and will benefit from her insights as to how we can achieve cultural change.”