Allan government announces family violence reforms for Victoria [Video]

Attorney-General Jaclyn Symes agreed there was a risk that extended orders could remove the checks and balances of the courts or worsen outcomes for victims who are misidentified as perpetrators by police, which she said happened 11 to 12 per cent of the time.

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“It won’t be appropriate in every instance and I think the issues with misidentification of perpetrators is something that can’t be ignored … We don’t want to create a system that increases that,” Symes said.

Antoinette Braybrook, chief executive of Aboriginal-led family violence prevention and legal service Djirra, said 20 per cent of Aboriginal women had been misidentified as perpetrators of family violence and they risked having children removed.

Indigenous victim-survivors – two in three of whom experience violence from non-Aboriginal men – are blamed and punished for the violence they are experiencing, she said.

“The consequences of misidentification are incredibly traumatising and have long-lasting effects. …