In the wake of yet another devastating loss of life, the call for action against domestic and family violence in Australia grows louder. The deaths of Lavanya Chappa, Jana Armstrong, Layla Jeffery, and a 17-year-old Yolngu girl have once again sparked a national conversation, but is it enough to prevent a cycle of tragedy? As an expert commentator, I find myself reflecting on the recurring pattern of outrage and fatigue, and the seemingly unyielding cycle of violence. What makes this situation particularly distressing is the sense of déjà vu, as if we are reliving the same tragedy over and over again. The knowledge gap, as policy expert Katherine Berney points out, is not the issue. We have more than 1,000 recommendations, but the implementation gap is where the real problem lies. Seventeen years ago, the national council to reduce violence against women and their children titled their landmark blueprint for reform: "time for action". Yet, despite the wealth of knowledge and recommendations, the cycle of violence persists. The "death review" system in most Australian states, designed to analyze cases and identify systemic problems, has only seen 16% of recommendations properly enacted by governments and agencies. This raises a deeper question: are government responses to tragedies performative, or do they truly effect real change? In my opinion, the performative aspect is a significant concern. Governments often make populist announcements, but the sustained investment required to address the issue is often missing. The complexity of domestic and family violence is a challenge, as it is highly relational, unlike other types of crime. This makes it difficult to spin a simpler, more carceral narrative. The question I find myself asking is: why aren't we upset right now? Why is the response to these tragedies often more urgent two years ago compared to now? The news cycle can be overwhelming, but it is crucial to recognize the urgency of the situation. As Berney notes, "No one knows what to do or say, because it’s so horrific." The silence from senior cabinet leaders and first ministers in the face of these allegations is concerning. In Queensland, the alleged domestic violence murder of Jana Armstrong comes after the state cut tens of millions in funding and resources for its domestic violence response. The scrapping of a specialist domestic and family violence command and the decision to treat domestic violence case management as not "core business" are alarming. Key recommendations from an inquiry into police responses to violence against women have not been enacted, and public reporting about progress has stopped. The situation in Queensland is a stark reminder of the implementation gap. The "death review" advisory board in Queensland has quietly stopped reviewing all cases, to the concern of former members. This highlights the need to listen to the experiences of the victims, as Betty Taylor, a former member, emphasized. "We’ve got to listen to dead women," she said. The national plan, signed on by all states and territories, has not been met, and there is nationally inconsistent reporting of data about violence against women. The lack of a government-backed database tracking homicides or other statistics and ongoing monitoring of national progress is a significant issue. Social problems, as Berney points out, don’t have linear solutions, particularly when there’s a lack of will for funding. The cycle of crisis response and fatigue is a dangerous pattern. We cannot keep saying the same things and expecting different results. The deaths of these two women and two girls are utterly horrific, and the impact on their families and communities is immeasurable. But if we only ever do crisis response, we only ever get crisis. It is time for sustained investment and real change. The performative responses must end, and the complexity of domestic and family violence must be addressed. The cycle of tragedy can be broken, but it requires a commitment to action, not just words. In my opinion, the time for action is now, and the implementation gap must be closed. The lives of these victims demand more than just words; they demand real change.
