Appearance at Royal Commission into Family Violence – Question on Notice, Dec 2015
The attached letter is addressed to the Hon Marcia Neave AO, Commissioner, Royal Commission into Family Violence. It provides a response to the question on notice taken during Commissioner Kate Jenkins appearance on behalf of the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission at a Royal Commission hearing on 13 October 2015.
About the submission
At the time Commissioner Jenkins undertook to provide further information on the Commission’s views regarding the issue of some family violence services excluding boys over the age of 12 and transgender people.
The following response considers whether such exclusion may be permitted under the Equal Opportunity Act 2010 (Vic). It also canvasses relevant policy considerations and makes recommendations for addressing concerns into the future.
It does not refer to any data or anecdotal evidence about the incidence of exclusion, nor does it address the question of circumstances in which family violence services may be able to discriminate in the employment of staff.