Finding into death of Helena Zoe Broadbent

32y · Female·Head injuries in a motor vehicle incident

Helena Zoe Broadbent, a 32-year-old pregnant Aboriginal woman, died from severe head injuries sustained when her partner William Wilson drove off in a vehicle while she was partially inside it, causing her to be ejected onto the road. This occurred during an escalating family violence incident on 28 September 2019. Multiple agencies—Victoria Police, Child Protection, Elizabeth Morgan House, and Housing Victoria—had prior contact with Helena. Key systemic failures included: police non-compliance with family violence protocols on 19 September 2019 (failure to submit L17 forms or notify Child Protection of alleged drug use); inconsistent risk assessment by Child Protection; delays in the Flexible Support Package process that left Helena financially dependent on her violent partner; and housing barriers that prevented her from safely excluding him. The coroner identified that while individual interventions alone could not definitively have prevented the death, better coordinated multi-agency responses, clearer communication about FVIO options, faster housing resolution, and timely police documentation would have been appropriate. The case highlights systemic gaps in family violence service integration and risk management for Aboriginal women.