CLEVELAND Magistrates Court is one of the state’s top 20 busiest courts for domestic violence order applications, information from the state government has revealed.
More than 630 DVO applications were lodged at Cleveland’s judicial centre from July 1 last year to April 30.
About 8000 were processed through the state’s three busiest courts for the civil order – Southport, Beenleigh and Ipswich.
But the number of applications made to Cleveland Magistrates Court this financial year is likely to be less than last year's spike of 796.
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Justice Minister Yvette D’Ath said the statistics, to be released quarterly, showed domestic violence was being tackled by her department.
“The data being published today is for the first time showing encouraging signs of stabilisation – the first tentative steps towards the long-term cultural change required to tackle domestic violence,” she said.
“We now hope making this data available publicly will increase victims’ faith in the system and reassure them that they will be taken seriously and that offenders will be held to account.”
The statistics showed that 73 per cent of the state’s 25,747 DVO applications lodged from July 1 last year to April 30 were made by police.
Most of the aggrieved were female but about quarter of applications were made to protect male victims involved, mostly, in relationships with the opposite sex.
About 14 per cent of orders issued involved same sex relationships but it not known if they were intimate, family or informal care based.
Cleveland Magistrates Court processed 74 DV-flagged offences, criminal offending which happens in the context of domestic violence, and 258 DVO contravention charges between July 1 last year and April 30.
“We saw a dramatic rise in domestic violence charges when we first brought in new laws in 2015-16, because victims were finally able to come forward and know they would be taken seriously,” Ms D’Ath said.
“The government is also using the data to continue to improve our response to this scourge and raise awareness within the community.”
DVOs are civil orders granted by magistrates. The respondent is able to seek legal advice and action if they deem the order or its conditions as unfair.
For more information about Queensland’s DV statistics, visit here.