Law Society welcomes important Royal Commission report into domestic violence
19 August 2025
The Law Society welcomes the release of the report of the Royal Commission into Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence, and commends Commissioner Natasha Stott Despoja for the breadth and depth of her investigation.
The comprehensive investigation, which heard from victim-survivors, perpetrators, police, Indigenous communities, crisis centres, support groups, doctors, lawyers, counsellors, children, people with disabilities, and many more individuals and groups with their own valuable perspectives, illustrates the pervasiveness and complexity of this issue.
We especially commend the bravery of victim-survivors in sharing their stories. Their courage in shedding light on this scourge will help lead to important changes that protect people from harm.
This problem will only be fixed when those prone to violence take accountability for their actions and make a genuine commitment to change. This is a critical step in breaking the cycle of domestic violence and we acknowledge perpetrators who shared their experiences of using violence and have taken steps to change their behaviours.
The Society is pleased that the Royal Commission’s report includes a number of recommendations aimed at education, prevention and early intervention.
From a justice system perspective, the Society notes that the recommendations include the development of comprehensive domestic, family and sexual violence training for police, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, courts staff, and judicial officers.
We support evidence-based, trauma-informed training across all sectors of the justice system to enhance participants’ understanding of domestic violence and better equip them to manage issues involving domestic violence.
In particular, we support training to help participants in the justice system recognise patterns of coercive control, noting that intervention orders can be issued for non-physical coercive control behaviours, while the forecasted introduction of laws to criminalise coercive control will require a deep and nuanced understanding of how coercive control can be exerted.
We also support recommendations to significantly invest in our courts system to establish vulnerable witness suites, upgrade infrastructure to meet minimum safety standards, enhance information-sharing, and continually improve its domestic, family and sexual violence diversionary programs.
The Society acknowledges the detailed analysis and subsequent recommendations involving Indigenous communities, and particularly appreciates the focus on implementing culturally safe practices in the justice system, Aboriginal-led domestic violence support services, as well as culturally appropriate healing programs.
The Society will provide a detailed response to the recommendations in due course.
Marissa Mackie
President
Law Society of South Australia