EXPERTS SAY ONLY A FRACTION OF DOMESTIC V!OLENCE REFORMS HAVE BEEN FULLY CARRIED OUT — DESPITE YEARS OF WARNINGS
The deaths of two women and two girls in just four days have reignited debate over Australia’s response to domestic and family violence, with experts arguing that the country already knows what needs to be done—it simply has not acted on many of the solutions.
The recent deaths of Lavanya Chappa, Jana Armstrong, 13-year-old Layla Jeffery, and a 17-year-old Yolngu girl have prompted renewed calls for governments to move beyond promises and implement long-standing recommendations aimed at preventing violence against women and children.
While investigations into the individual cases continue, advocates say the broader pattern has once again exposed systemic failures that have been highlighted for years.
Experts Say the Problem Is Not a Lack of Knowledge
Policy expert Katherine Berney says Australia has already produced more than 1,000 recommendations through reviews, inquiries and expert panels addressing domestic and family violence.
“The knowledge gap isn’t there,” Berney said.
“It’s an implementation gap.”
She argues that governments frequently respond after major tragedies with expressions of concern and new announcements, yet many recommendations remain only partially implemented or are never acted upon.
Years of Reviews, Limited Progress
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Most Australian states operate domestic violence death review systems that examine fatalities to identify failures and recommend reforms.
However, a 2024 study examining recommendations from long-running review panels in Queensland and New South Wales found that only 16% of recommendations over more than a decade had been fully implemented.
Dr. Emma Buxton-Namisnyk, a senior lecturer at the University of New South Wales and co-author of the study, questioned whether some official responses become symbolic rather than transformative.
She said governments often announce new measures after high-profile cases but fail to provide the sustained investment needed to produce meaningful long-term change.
The Latest Cases Renew National Debate
The deaths have drawn renewed attention to Australia’s continuing struggle with domestic and family violence.
Among the recent cases is Jana Armstrong, whose alleged killing in Queensland came after the state reduced funding for parts of its domestic violence response.
Advocates stress that each case has its own circumstances and remains subject to ongoing legal processes where applicable, but together they have intensified public concern about whether existing prevention systems are adequately protecting those at risk.
Calls to Act on Existing Recommendations
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Rather than calling for yet another inquiry, many experts are urging governments to focus on implementing reforms that have already been identified.
Those recommendations include improving early intervention, strengthening information-sharing between agencies, increasing frontline support services and ensuring long-term funding for prevention programs.
Advocates argue that repeated cycles of public outrage followed by limited reform have become all too familiar.
As Australia reflects on another week marked by devastating loss, many experts say the challenge is no longer identifying what needs to change—but finding the political commitment to make those changes happen.
Sources:
The Guardian Australia
University of New South Wales research on domestic violence death review recommendations
Queensland domestic violence policy reports