Victorian Liberals promise DV disclosure scheme within 100 days if elected

Victorian opposition pledges to bring in DV disclosure scheme if elected Mon 27 Jul 2026 at 5:34am In short: The Victorian Coalition has promised to bring in a domestic violence disclosure scheme if it wins November's state election. The scheme, referred to as Clare's Law, operates in South Australia, allowing people to access a partner's domestic violence offences. What's next? The opposition has pledged to introduce the scheme within 100 days if it wins office later this year. The Victorian opposition has promised to introduce a domestic violence disclosure scheme within 100 days of governing if it wins November's state election. The scheme, often referred to as Clare's Law, allows people to ask police if their partner has a history of domestic abuse. The name comes from a UK scheme, introduced in 2003, after the murder of British woman Clare Wood, who had no knowledge of her partner's criminal past. South Australia introduced similar laws in October 2018, and remains the only state with such a scheme. "This is really about prevention. This is about trying to ensure we stop domestic and family violence before it occurs," Victorian Opposition Leader Jess Wilson said during a tour of Gippsland in eastern Victoria. In November 2024, Victorian shadow minister for prevention of family violence Cindy McLeish introduced a private member's bill asking the government to support a similar scheme. "The bill that I am putting forward is another step. It is not a silver bullet; it is another step to help move in this space," Ms McLeish said at the time. "It's about prevention and we know it needs to play a greater role." The bill was voted down. Ms Wilson said the Coalition's domestic violence (DV) laws would include the development of an individual safety plan, referral to support services and two free trauma-informed counselling sessions. The ABC requested an interview with Victorian Attorney-General Sonya Kilkenny. In a statement, a government spokesperson said Labor "wouldn't put a price" on keeping victims safe. It did not respond to questions regarding the implementation of Clare's Law. "Labor will introduce legislation to criminalise coercive control, ban good character evidence as a mitigating factor in sentencing, and deliver further reforms to better protect victim-survivors and hold perpetrators to account," a spokesperson said. "Victoria leads the nation in responding to family and sexual violence because only Labor has backed the reforms that protect victim-survivors." South Australia a 'world leader' South Australia introduced a domestic violence disclosure scheme in 2018. Since then, SA family violence services report more than 4,000 applications have been made under the scheme. An independent review of the scheme by the University of Essex found it to be a world leader in terms of domestic violence prevention. Manager of integrated programs at Women's Safety Services in South Australia, Mergho Ray, said the program was saving lives. "My belief is that this scheme actually holds abusive behaviours to account,"Ms Ray said. Community pushing for change The latest data from the Crime Statistics Agency shows the rate of family violence in East Gippsland is 4,655 incidents per 100,00 people, the highest in Victoria. "It [family violence] is one of the most serious issues that's facing our community," East Gippsland Shire Mayor Jodie Ashworth said. Cr Ashworth said the council believed Clare's Law could be an important prevention tool if implemented. "It's really about people having access to important information," she said. "It's about prevention and it's about reducing harm and ultimately saving lives if they've got the information that can assist them to do that." Country Women's Association Victorian (CWA) president Marie Vassallo said the adoption of Clare's Law would be a game changer. She said after six months of campaigning, the CWA unanimously passed a resolution in favour of Clare's Law being introduced in Victoria. "So that's an odd 4,000 women across the state urging the Victorian state government to legislate the introduction of a domestic violence disclosure scheme," Ms Vassallo said. "We're ready to fight whatever, how loudly we need to help the government understand that this needs to happen. "It's a no-brainer and it shouldn't be party political." Ms Wilson said the Coalition was prepared to work with the government to bring in the law. "This is something that should really rise above day-to-day politics. It's about preventing domestic and family violence before it occurs," she said.