Indigenous and non-indigenous women have contrasting views about what constitutes justice for victims and perpetrators of domestic and family violence, according to recent research conducted by a Central Queensland University academic.

Ms Heather Nancarrow, Director of the Queensland Centre for Domestic & Family Violence Research based at CQU Mackay, will explore why these two groups of women have starkly contrasting views about using restorative justice for this form of violence at a public seminar in Rockhampton this week.

The seminar titled In Search of Justice for Domestic & Family Violence: Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Women’s Perspectives will be held on Thursday, September 29, from 5.30pm to 6.30pm, at the CQU District Court Council Room, East St, Rockhampton.

Ms Nancarrow will present research which was inspired by the contradictory recommendations of two taskforce reports by the Queensland Government back in 2000. Significantly, the membership of one taskforce was comprised entirely of Indigenous women and the other almost entirely comprised of non-Indigenous women.

“My research showed that Indigenous women preferred a restorative justice response – a more informal approach using practices such as mediation and conferencing; while non-Indigenous women preferred the conventional criminal justice system,” Ms Nancarrow explained.

“Indigenous women in my study saw that the criminal justice system escalates violence against them and within their communities and continues with previous government policy of separating indigenous families.

“They wanted justice responses that unite, rather than divide indigenous families and their communities. They prioritise restoration of relationships between the victim and offender and the offender and community, while non-Indigenous women gave greater priority to holding men accountable through the criminal justice system.”.

Current domestic violence legislation provides for victims to apply to a magistrate’s court for a civil protection order and criminal charges may also be laid by police where the nature of the violence constitutes a criminal offence. In some circumstances police may detain an offender for up to 4 hours, while making an application for a protection order, whether or not the person is charged with a criminal offence. Police may also make an application for a protection order with or without the victim’s consent. A breach of a protection order is itself, a criminal offence. For more information about the public seminar contact Kay Wolfs on 4930 6568 or via email on k.wolfs@cqu.edu.au .