| The Department of Justice and Attorney General has issued this Invitation to Offer with the objective of engaging a firm to undertake an action/research project to determine and embed key features of a culturally appropriate response for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who are involved in domestic and family violence (DFV) proceedings in the context of the specialist DFV court rollout, with a focus on Townsville, Palm Island and Mount Isa.
From September 2015 to June 2017 a specialist domestic and family violence (DFV) court was trialled at the Southport Magistrates Court. The trial was commenced in response to the recommendations of the Special Taskforce on Domestic and Family Violence in Queensland – Not Now, Not Ever: Putting an end to domestic and family violence in Queensland.
The trial was evaluated by Griffith Criminology Institute (GCI). The final report (Evaluation of the Specialist Domestic and Family Violence Court Trial in Southport: Summary and Final Report) (‘the Report) was delivered in early March 2017. The report contains 16 recommendations including a recommendation to rollout a specialist approach to further sites ‘using a staged implementation strategy that focuses on adapting to the local context and building partnerships and collaborations’ (page 112).
The Report also recommends conducting further research to explore and develop specialist court and justice models for DFV matters involving Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander persons (recommendation 14, page 92). The Report recommends the adoption of ‘action research principles, with a participatory method’ that acknowledges and integrates cultural experience and knowledge.
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