Community attitudes and understandings have not yet advanced enough to ensure perpetrators of family violence or animal abuse will be brought to justice.

However, better awareness of links between human and animal abuse and well-targeted information about reporting options will go some way towards ensuring perpetrators face real consequences.

That is according to researchers Dr Tania Signal and Dr Nicola Taylor who have surveyed 1200 Central Queenslanders about their likelihood to report violence in the home.

Those who did not know about reporting options and those not aware of animal-human abuse links, were less likely to report violence.

"Given that less than 0.5% of domestic violence orders result in conviction, there remain few 'real' consequences for perpetrators from the official criminal justice system," Dr Taylor said.

"If we can boost the likelihood that community members will report family violence, this will hopefully result in more convictions." Dr Signal said that attitudes towards animals could provide an insight into the cycle of abuse.

"These attitudes could be useful in developing early intervention and prevention measures," she said.

The two researchers from the School of Psychology & Sociology at Central Queensland University will deliver a public seminar on 'Violence: The Human-Animal Connection' at CQU Rockhampton (with video links to campuses in Bundaberg, Gladstone, Emerald and Mackay), from 6pm-7pm on Thursday, October 26.

Details, including room venues, are available from Jim Douglas on 07 4930 6568 or j.douglas@cqu.edu.au .

Photos: Dr Taylor (above) and Dr Signal (below) are set for their public seminar.