Monash expert: Tasmanian man’s alleged murder of his mother not legally considered family violence

Last week, a 55 year old man was charged with the murder of his 85-year-old mother in southern Tasmania. Police noted the murder will not be considered a family violence incident under Tasmanian law because of the state’s narrow definition of “family violence”, which excludes most family relationships outside intimate partners. A Monash University expert, who wrote for The Conversation, is available to talk about how this leaves Tasmania out of step with the rest of Australia and creates major barriers for victim-survivors seeking support.

Isabel Dunn, PhD Candidate, Monash Gender and Family Violence Prevention Hub, School of Social Sciences