Jess Hill

But then we also have the other issue, which is just getting various ministers from different portfolios to see domestic family and sexual violence as a core priority for them.

We would need to see, for example, the Attorney General's Department in every state and territory see this as their core business, which it should be because it literally is the number one law and order issue in the country.

So this should be a priority.

It should be definitely a priority for Attorney Generals.

It should be a priority for the Health Minister.

It should be a priority for the education minister.

You know, these are portfolios who see domestic family and sexual violence as something extra that they do on the side.

They don't see it as core business.

If we could change that, then I think we might make some progress.

Well, first of all, primarily the domestic violence sector does not support it.

And the reason is if you think about it from the sector's point of view, they are operating sometimes at 200% to 300% capacity at the moment because they are underfunded.

Then you ask them to be part of a royal commission, which requires them to write documents

submissions, requires them to gather evidence, requires them to make this a priority, this process a priority.

This process could go on for years.

In fact, a process of this kind, we saw the Royal Commission into Violence Against People with Disability went on for about four years.

What would happen at the same time with the Federal Royal Commission is heightened awareness.

Heightened awareness means more people reaching out for help, means services having to respond to more requests.

So

For a lot of people in the sector, it just feels like, what are we actually going to get out of this?

And that's actually a bit of a lottery.