Rosie Batty aims to change the system with Justice for Kids petition

Anti-violence campaigner Rosie Batty used what would have been her murdered son’s 14th birthday to urge all Australian political parties to fix the family law system to protect kids.

At the National Press Club last week, the former Australian of the year delivered a petition with more than 20,000 signatures calling for a family law system that puts safety first.

Batty handed the petition to representatives from three major parties Liberal senator – Michaelia Cash, Labor senator Claire Moore and Greens senator Richard Di Natale.

The Justice for Kids petition outlines a five-step plan that Batty, and the Women’s Legal Service Victoria, believe will change the system for the better.

“If we are to genuinely protect our women and children from family violence the next stage of our journey together must include action that changes the systems that administer justice and protect children,” Batty said during her speech.

“This is a [legal] system that too often fails to recognise the impact of family violence; a system that allows perpetrators to cross examine their victims; a system that is overburdened and underfunded and a system that leaves so many feeling powerless to protect their children,” she said.

“To prioritise the safety of children, the family law system needs to believe that family violence has occurred. All too often, survivors even with proof have their fears written off as anxiety or obsession. Minimised or dismissed. Accused of exaggerating or manipulating the system.

“But it’s not all about funding. It’s about the systemic and cultural change that is needed to put the safety of kids first – throughout the entire journey of the family law process, from the very beginning right through to the end.”

AAP

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