19 December 2025
No to Violence has welcomed the Victorian Government’s response, tabled today, to the Legislative Assembly Legal and Social Issues Committee Inquiry into capturing data on people who use family violence, describing it as an important step toward strengthening accountability and improving system responses.
No to Violence particularly welcomes the Government’s commitment to establishing a system-wide process to correct misidentification in family violence records by 2027. As part of this reform, data will be collected on the prevalence of misidentification and the effectiveness of corrective action.
“Misidentification causes real harm, and it has historically been very difficult to correct,” said Phillip Ripper, CEO of No to Violence. “When the wrong person is recorded as the predominant aggressor, it undermines victim-survivor safety, compounds trauma, distorts risk assessment and weakens accountability. A clear, consistent and timely process to correct records across systems is essential.”
The organisation also welcomed the Government’s commitment to Recommendation 18, which focuses on embedding the Multi-Agency Risk Assessment and Management Framework (MARAM) and improving data collection across early identification points in mainstream and universal services through enhanced training and education.
“Earlier identification in health, education and other universal services is critical,” Mr Ripper said. “But it must be done with strong practice guidance and workforce capability, so better data leads to safer, more effective responses and does not create new risks.”
No to Violence emphasised that data reforms must be designed to avoid reinforcing racial profiling and bias against marginalised communities, and must centre victim-survivors, including children, and specialist family violence practitioner expertise.
“If Victoria is serious about improving data on people using violence, Indigenous Data Sovereignty must be embedded from the outset,” Mr Ripper said. “That means First Nations communities having control over how data about First Nations people is collected, interpreted and used, and investing in First Nations-led research and the capacity of Aboriginal organisations to monitor and evaluate what works.”
No to Violence noted that progress will depend on long-term, bipartisan commitment to embedding accountability across systems, supported by sustained funding and coordinated delivery.
