Establish a public family violence homicide database

Taking guidance from a NSW initiative, Rachel asked the Minister for Prevention of Family Violence to establish a publicly accessible database of homicides occurring in the context of an identifiable history of family violence in Victoria.

Rachel did not get a chance to raise this matter in parliament, so her speech has instead been presented to the Minister to provide a written response.

Wednesday the 17th of June 2026,
Victorian Legislative Council

Rachel Payne (South-Eastern Metropolitan):

My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Prevention of Family Violence, Minister Horne.

The NSW Domestic Violence Death Review Team (DVDRT) has just launched a new website that provides detailed insight into homicides in NSW.

This is an independent group led by the State Coroner and made up of government representatives, community sector experts, and frontline workers who respond to family violence.

This dashboard is the first platform of its kind in Australia.

It provides easy access to specialist information about domestic violence-related deaths, including where these deaths most often occur, and the people most likely to be responsible for them.

An Australian-born, non-Indigenous man in his early 30s armed with a knife is the average type of domestic violence (DV) homicide offender, according to data released on this platform.

Cases reviewed by the DVDRT show that, over the past 26 years, nearly 300 women have been killed by a current or former intimate partner in relationships with a known history of domestic violence.

Of these women, 99 per cent were the primary domestic violence victims throughout their relationship.

Since 2000, 134 children and young people, and 208 other individuals have been killed in a DV-related death in NSW.

Preventing domestic and family violence depends on having strong and reliable data. Every piece of information helps us understand where action is needed most to stop violence before it happens.

By collecting and sharing data, evidence and information, we can help improve responses to violence and support efforts to prevent the deaths of women and children.

Family violence in Victoria is increasing and directly effects one in five Victorian women over the course of their lifetime.

It is the leading contributor to preventable death, disability and illness in Victorian women aged 15 to 44 years.

We must strengthen our understanding of family violence to ensure that the safety, needs and experience of victims remain at the centre of our response.

Better data can help us to identify patterns, warning signs and identify risk factors associated with serious harm or fatalities.

No loss of life is acceptable, and every death must prompt our attention and commitment to change.

So, the action I seek is for the Minister to establish a publicly accessible data dashboard, similar to that developed by the NSW Domestic Violence Death Review Team, to provide detailed information and insights into homicides occurring in the context of an identifiable history of family violence in Victoria.

Response received, 17th of July 2026

I thank the member for South-Eastern Metropolitan Region for raising the matter of a publicly accessible data dashboard in Victoria similar to the New South Wales Domestic Violence Death Dashboard.

Every death is a tragic reminder of the urgent need to address gender-based violence that continues to harm women across Australia at unacceptably high rates. When women continue to be killed by men, we must do more. I share your view about the importance of data to help strengthen our understanding of family violence, including risk factors associated with serious harm or fatalities.

While Victoria does not have a standalone family violence homicide dashboard, that is akin to the New South Wales Domestic Violence Death Dashboard, data relating to family violence homicides is regularly reported on and available to the public, including through a dashboard.

The Crime Statistics Agency is responsible for processing, analysing and publishing crime statistics in Victoria. This includes the establishment and maintenance of the Family Violence Dashboard (FVD), which is updated annually to provide publicly accessible data and statistics on family violence in Victoria. The FVD provides statistics that speak to the spectrum of family violence system responses, including justice system data, family violence service system data and generalist service system data, such as ambulance and emergency department services. The FVD was established in respond to Recommendation 205 of the Royal Commission into Family Violence.

The FVDB includes Coroners Court of Victoria (Coroners Court) data on family violence homicide incidents and demographics of victims and offenders. The homicide data is extracted from the Victorian Homicide Register, which includes detailed information reported to the Coroners Court since 2000.

The FVD data on family violence related homicide incidents includes breakdowns by incident location, mechanism of death (such as bodily force, firearm or sharp object), number of offenders and trends over time. The FVD data on family violence related homicide demographics includes breakdowns by the number of victims, sex and age group of victims and offenders, and victims’ relationship to offenders. This data is similar to what is reported on through the New South Wales Domestic Violence Death Dashboard. While the FVD does not provide the same level of breakdown of family violence homicide data, it does include a broader range of family violence related statistics.

In addition to the homicide data published on the FVD, the Crime Statistics Agency also releases quarterly offense data, including on family violence homicide and related offenses.

I thank the Member again for raising this matter and for the commitment to addressing family violence in the South-Eastern Metropolitan Region.

The Hon Melissa Horne MP
Minister for Prevention of Family Violence

Related:

External:

• dvddeath dashboard | Coroners Court of New South Wales