one recent example

• Improving the Response of the Justice System to Sexual Violence

  • ‘1 in 5 women experience sexual assault in their liftetime after the age of 15 but then we heard that about 85-90% of those incidents are not reported to police… we asked ourselves why is that? Can that be addressed?’
• Referral is Made 

  (April 2020)

  • Referral is made the VLRC by the Attorney-General to investigate the justice systems response to sex offences.
  • They are given until August 2021 to produce a report. 
• Terms of Reference

  • Victoria’s laws relating to rape, sexual assault and associated adult and child sexual offences.
  • The impact, if any, of technological advancements on the nature of sexual offending.
  • Identify the barriers to report and resolving sexual offences.
• Consultation and Submissions

  • 99 consultations with the community and victim advocacy and support organisations, academics, the police, victims of sexual violence and the legal profession and the courts. 
  • Met with people from New Zealand to learn about innovations in their jurisdiction. 
  • They created an online form to allow victims of sexual violence to anonymously share their views. They received 67 submissions.
• Report is Delivered 

  (September-November 2021)

  • The VLRC delivered the sexual offences report to the Attorney-General on the 20th of September, 2021, and it was released on the 12th of November. 

  Overall, the inquiry took 18 months.
• Implementation

  In August 2022, a bill passed through parliament: Just Legislation Amendment (Sexual Offences and Other Matters) Bill 2022

  The government consulted more than 122 parties when drafting the bill, including the police, bar, law institute of Victoria, LGBTQ groups and sex worker organisations. These new laws would cover:

  • Stealthing
  • Affirmative consent model
  • Image-based sexual abuse 

  The new laws have recent come into effect.