By Judith Ireland
Abbott government minister Michaelia Cash has downplayed the idea of holding a national royal commission into domestic violence, arguing that the Coalition has already "accepted" that it was a problem and practical solutions were needed instead.
The Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Women agreed with the assessment of Australian of the Year Rosie Batty that the nation is in the grip of a "serious" family violence "epidemic", repeating the statistics that one in three women over the age of 15 will experience domestic violence, while every week a woman is murdered by their current or former partner.
Michaelia Cash says the Abbott government accepts that Australia has a domestic violence epidemic.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
Senator Cash told Radio National on Tuesday that the government was "110 per cent committed to working towards [an] Australia where all women and children are free of violence".
But when asked if the federal government would follow the Victorian government and establish a national royal commission into the issue, Senator Cash suggested it was unnecessary.
"In this space you should always be open to considering new ideas," she said.
"I have to say though, in relation to a royal commission, this government already accepts the evidence that we have an epidemic when it comes to violence against women and children."
On Monday, Labor leader Bill Shorten told reporters that there was "merit" in the idea of having a national royal commission.
"I certainly would be prepared to consider it," he said. "Domestic violence is a national issue."
Senator Cash said that the federal and state governments and the community needed to concentrate instead on the "practical steps" that can address domestic violence.
Here, she pointed to the government's national action plan to reduce violence against women and children, which was introduced under the Gillard government and updated by the Abbott government in June 2014.
The government has set aside $100 million over four year to implement the plan, which Senator Cash described as a "significant investment".
When questioned about concerns that service providers have about a lack of funds on the ground to address the issue, she replied: "that's something that you obviously need to talk to the states about. Because the states implement the services on the ground".
Last year in a Senate inquiry, women's groups questioned the national plan, saying there was not enough funding at a local level and not enough clarity about the plan to would produce "meaningful" results.
The Abbott government has also been criticised by Labor and the Greens for cutting funding to community legal centres, which assist women in times of crisis with their partners.