Judges to be forced to consider imposing lifetime family restraining orders for victims under new Labor policy

A re-elected Labor Government will force judges to consider imposing a lifetime family restraining order on thugs, on top of tougher penalties for breaches as WA grapples with the scourge of domestic violence. Under the plan, announced by Premier Roger Cook on Tuesday in Southern River, Labor will also commit an additional $39 million in 18 regional-based refuge units, and support for the Safe at Home program. The proposal includes two higher levels of domestic violence offences, with jail time of up to five years for breaches of orders under restraining order laws, as well as longer maximum penalties for existing offences. It also expands the convictions eligible for the lifetime FVRO to include strangulation, aggravated wounding and deprivation of liberty, on top of manslaughter and grievous bodily harm. “We want to expand it to make it easier for victims. We’re always looking for ways to improve it,” Attorney General John Quigley said. “We said, what could we do to improve the victim experience. One of it is that the poor victim doesn’t have to stand up in court in front of the perpetrator and say, I want a lifetime order. “I’m very confident that the courts will take this and use that as offended.” But despite a wave of tougher penalties included in the election commitment announcement, outgoing Attorney General John Quigley conceded it would be hard “to say that any government could bring in a law which would stop this scourge”. “There’s got to be cultural shift in our community. And cultural shift does happen. We’ve seen it with smoking. We’ve seen it with lots of things,” he said. “We’ve got to stay the course, to change course culturally. But if you’re looking for the sole solution and the restraining orders act in the Criminal Code, we’re looking in the wrong place.”