Domestic violence researchers want immigrants to be told not to bash their wives or children upon entering Australia.
A NSW domestic violence research team and State Coroner Michael Barnes are pushing for information about abusive relationships to be included in the Life in Australia booklet, according to The Daily Telegraph.
Potential offenders and victims would be educated on the country’s domestic violence laws and what resources are available for victims who want to leave.
‘If you have migrants perpetrating and experiencing violence, their vulnerabilities may be exacerbated by their migrant status…the logistics of being a new person in a new country, not having support networks…not necessarily understanding the laws,’ NSW Domestic Violence Death Review team manager Anna Butler said.
Domestic violence researchers want immigrants to be told not to bash their wives or children upon entering Australia (stock image)
A NSW domestic violence research team and State Coroner Michael Barnes (stock image) are pushing for information about abusive relationships to be included in the Life in Australia booklet
Mr Barnes told the publication that although he doesn’t have any data showing a higher rate of domestic violence in non-Western cultures, but he believes the recommendation will help create a ‘safer community.’
The Domestic Violence Death Review has noted one case where an Indian man who immigrated to the country with his wife before strangling her death told authorities their ‘culture’ was to blame, according to The Daily Telegraph.
‘He told police he did not know what had come over him but that he was the dominant person in the relationship as was their culture,’ a court report read.
Earlier this year Immigration Minister Peter Dutton began pushing for changes to Australia’s citizenship test.
He wants to extend the waiting time for permanent residents to apply for citizenship, to create tougher English language tests and to give himself additional powers.
The measures were tossed out of the Australian Senate in October night after the government failed to meet a deadline to bring legislation on for debate.
The government initially wanted to lift English requirements from ‘basic’ to ‘competent’. The ‘competent’ level would require aspiring citizens to understand fairly complex language and have an effective grasp of English.
Potential offenders and victims would be educated on the country’s domestic violence laws and what resources are available for victims who want to leave (stock image)
Mr Barnes told the publication that although he doesn’t have any data showing a higher rate of domestic violence in non-Western cultures, but he believes the recommendation will help create a ‘safer community’ (stock image)
Mr Dutton has agreed to accept a ‘modest’ level, meaning would-be Australians must be able to handle basic communication.
That level would require only a partial command of the language, while making many mistakes.
The government also wanted to impose its crackdown retrospectively to include anyone who applied for citizenship since its policy was announced on April 20.
It is now willing to hold fire on the changes until July 1 next year.
Earlier this year Immigration Minister Peter Dutton (pictured) began pushing for changes to Australia’s citizenship test