FAMILY AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE — CANNABIS USE
1039. Hon Dr BRIAN WALKER to the parliamentary secretary
representing the Minister for Prevention of Family and Domestic Violence:
I
refer the minister to the Purple Bench Project, which unveiled a number of
benches in honour of victims of domestic violence in Bayswater this morning, which I was very pleased to attend,
and I refer to the recent announcement by the McGowan government of an
additional $60 million boost to help to prevent family and domestic violence,
which I commend.
(1) Is the
minister aware of a study published in September 2014 by the National
Institutes of Health in the United States which showed a decrease in domestic
violence figures when one partner took cannabis on a regular basis?
(2) Is the
minister aware of any similar studies being undertaken here in Australia; and,
if not, would she consider encouraging local research in this vein?
(3) If no to (2), will she allow me to share the US
research with her and commit to circulating it to policymakers in her
department and beyond?
Hon KYLE
McGINN replied:
On behalf of the parliamentary secretary,
I thank the honourable member for some notice of the question. The following
answer has been provided by the Minister for Prevention of Family and Domestic
Violence.
(1)–(3) The
minister and the Department of Communities, as the lead government agency for
supporting the WA government's
efforts to reduce family and domestic violence, are focused on addressing the
established drivers of family and domestic violence, and violence
against women. We know the drivers for preventing violence against women are
overwhelmingly gender based and there is a need to address gender inequality and disrespect. Released in 2020, Path to
safety: Western Australia's strategy to reduce family and domestic
violence 2020–2030, the government's long-term strategy to
reduce and respond to family and domestic violence, has been informed by data,
research and consultation across Western Australia. This includes input from
experts from academia, the specialist family and domestic violence sector and
related sectors—for example,
health. The minister is committed to being guided by evidence-based, best
practice approaches to combat family and domestic violence that respond to the
needs of the Western Australian community.