In January 2024, the Attorney-General of Australia asked the Australian Law Reform Commission to conduct an inquiry into justice responses to sexual violence. The inquiry forms part of the Australian Government’s commitment to strengthen and harmonise sexual assault and consent laws (following the Senate inquiry into current and proposed sexual consent laws in Australia), and to improve outcomes and experiences for victim-survivors in the justice system.
In June 2024, GLaD researchers made a submission to the inquiry, after which two of the authors, GLaD’s Professor Kate Seear and Associate Professor Genevieve Grant, Director of the Australian Centre for Justice Innovation at Monash University, were invited to provide further input and advice to a Commission roundtable.
In March 2025, the Commission’s report was tabled in Parliament. The report made several recommendations that aligned with recommendations in our submission, including that:
- the Australian Government should fund relevant organisations to provide independent legal services;
- people who worked in the criminal justice system and have relevant involvement in sexual violence matters should receive education about myths and misconceptions and training about trauma-informed and culturally safe practices; and
- the Standing Council of Attorneys-General should establish an appropriately funded national taskforce to develop a national quality assurance framework for police interviewing of complainants of sexual violence.
The report also includes detailed recommendations to enhance civil justice processes, including recommendations on delay, flexible evidence measures, interpreters, intermediaries, improper questioning, cross-examination, and admissibility of evidence.
Finally, citing Professor Seear’s work on victims of crime compensation laws, the report recommended that each state and territory government conduct a review of its victims of crime scheme to provide equality of access across all schemes and more equitable and consistent awards of compensation or financial assistance across all jurisdictions.
In tabling the report, the Attorney-General announced a $21.4 million package to strengthen support for victims and survivors, with funding focussed on piloting specialist, trauma-informed sexual assault legal services in every state and territory.
This announcement complements initiatives under the Standing Council of Attorneys-General Work Plan to Strengthen Criminal Justice Responses to Sexual Violence, and we look forward to progressing implementation of these recommendations with Attorneys-General across Australia.