Family DV Reform, or Eroding Basic Rights? QLD govt announced, with some fanfare, its great delight at passing another series of law reforms in the areas of domestic & family violence. Of course, nobody in their right mind believes that actual violence against women is acceptable, & most agree that appropriate & effective legal frameworks should be in place in that area.The question is, how far are we as a society prepared to erode well-established principles that have underpinned our legal system for centuries in order to achieve that goal? Police Protection Directions – Administrative Decisions Exercising Judicial Powers. In the ordinary course, an individual who seeks protection from another does so through an application to Court. Unless the respondent to that application consents to the order, the Court then weighs the evidence to determine whether such an order should be made &, if so, on what terms it should be made. In some circumstances, the DV Act does allow Police to issue a Police Protection Notice, providing immediate but short term protection for someone who claims to have experienced DV. This law reform introduces a new system, designed to supplement (rather than replace) the current system. Under this new regime, the Police can issue a 12 month Police Protection Direction (as opposed to a Notice), and bypass court.
Police Aren’t Judges!
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