Finding into death of DCF

Contributing factors

• Longstanding pattern of family violence perpetrated by deceased against perpetrator
• Perpetrator's mental illness (schizoaffective disorder) and non-compliance with medication
• Perpetrator's housing instability and homelessness
• Perpetrator's substance use (methamphetamine)
• Police misidentification of predominant aggressor
• LEAP database outage preventing access to violence history
• Inadequate police investigation of alleged violence by deceased

Coroner's recommendations

1. That Victoria Police fully implement recommendation 5 of the FVRIM December 2021 report by trialling a review process involving the specialist family violence sector for any Family Violence Report where a woman is identified as a respondent before it is committed to LEAP database, with reviews occurring collaboratively between police and specialist family violence sector members
2. Commonwealth Government should review rates for Australian income support payments with particular focus on needs of women and children experiencing family violence
3. Victorian Government should implement outstanding recommendations of Legal and Social Issues Committee Inquiry into Homelessness in Victoria and commit to investing in adequate crisis accommodation for victim survivors and perpetrators of family violence
4. Victorian Government should implement recommendations of Inquiry into rental and housing affordability crisis with special consideration for building 60,000 new public housing dwellings by 2034
5. Victorian Government should consider alternative ways of expanding social housing stock including incentives for landlords to lease at affordable rates
6. Victorian Government should consider reserving portion of public housing stock for perpetrators of family violence removed from family home to increase safety of women and children
7. Victorian Government should include right to housing in Victorian Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006