Acronyms
ABS: Australian Bureau of Statistics
ACCO: Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation
AFM: Affected family member
AFVITH: Adolescent family violence in the home
AIFS: Australian Institute of Family Studies
AIHW: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
ANROWS: Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety
ASCCEG: Australian Standard Classification of Cultural and Ethnic Groups
ASCL: Australian Standard Classification of Languages
CALD: Culturally and linguistically diverse
CSA: Crime Statistics Agency
CVS: Crime Victimisation Survey
DCRF: Foundation for a National Data Collection and Reporting Framework for family, domestic and sexual violence
DHHS: Department of Health and Human Services
DPC: Department of Premier and Cabinet
EHRC: Equality and Human Rights Commission UK
FVDB: Victorian Family Violence Database
FVPA: Family Violence Protection Act 2008 (Vic)
HPP: Health Privacy Principles
HRA: Health Records Act 2001 (Vic)
IPP: Information Privacy Principles
IRIS: Integrated Reports and Information System
L17: Victoria Police Family Violence Risk Assessment and Management form
LEAP: Victoria Police Law Enforcement Assistance Program
LGBTI: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex
METeOR: Metadata Online Registry
NATSISS: National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey
NCIS: National Coronial Information System
NDIS: National Disability Insurance Scheme
NHS: National Health Service England
NTV: No to Violence
ONS: Office for National Statistics UK
PDPA: Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 (Vic)
PSS: Personal Safety Survey
RCFV: Royal Commission into Family Violence
SACC: Standard Australian Classification of Countries
SDAC: Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers
SDS: Supplementary Disability Survey
SIQ: Standard Indigenous Question
SLK: Statistical linkage key
UID: Unique identifier
VEOHRC: Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission
VPDSF: Victorian Protective Data Security Framework
Terminology
A glossary appears at the end of each priority community section of this framework which includes definitions specific to each particular section. However, broader terminology which is used throughout the framework is discussed here and is based on language used by the Royal Commission into Family Violence (RCFV).1
Family violence
‘Family violence’ is the term used throughout this framework to refer to a wide range of behaviours identified in the Family Violence Protection Act 2008 (Vic). Information regarding the definition of family violence can be found on page 26. Where this framework directly references materials which use other terms such as ‘domestic violence’ or ‘intimate partner violence’, these terms have been retained, however the scope of these terms is typically more narrow than family violence. Domestic violence may be used to refer to acts of violence between intimate partners and violence in the context of family relationships. It may be used in legislation in other jurisdictions and in practice guidance in some parts of Victoria. Intimate partner violence is commonly used to highlight the predominant manifestation of the violence, which is in the context of current or former intimate partner relationships.
Language about victims
State and national policy and non-government services primarily use the terms ‘victim’, ‘victimsurvivor’ to refer to adults and children who have experienced family violence, as well as ‘woman and their children who experience violence’. The Family Violence Information Sharing Scheme under Part 5A of the Family Violence Protection Act 2008 (Vic) uses the term ‘primary person’ to describe a person about whom there is a reasonable belief there is a risk they may be subjected to family violence. Victoria Police use the term ‘affected family member’ in the context of police attended or reported family violence incidents. In the context of intervention order applications, courts also use the term ‘affected family member’, and use ‘applicant’ to describe the person applying for an order. ‘Victim’ is sometimes considered problematic because it suggests that people who have experienced family violence are helpless or lack the capacity to make rational choices about how to respond to the violence. For the purposes of the framework, the terms ‘victim’, ‘victim-survivor’ and ‘people who experience violence’ (or ‘people who experience abuse’) are used interchangeably, unless referencing material which uses other terms, or specifically discussing information within the context of Victoria Police or courts.
Language about perpetrators
A broad range of terminology is used in relation to people who use violence, including ‘perpetrators’ and ‘men who use violence’. The Family Violence Information Sharing Scheme under Part 5A of the Family Violence Protection Act 2008 (Vic) uses the term ‘person of concern’ to describe a person that there is a reasonable belief there is a risk they may commit family violence. Victoria Police use the term ‘respondent’ to refer to a person described as using violence in the context of police attended or reported family violence incidents. The word ‘defendant’ may be used to describe a person being prosecuted for a family violence offence, and the word ‘offender’ may be used to describe a person who has been found guilty of such an offence. For the purposes of the framework, the terms ‘people who use violence’ and ‘perpetrator’ are used interchangeably.
Priority communities
The communities identified by the RCFV (in recommendation 204) and through consultation are described in the framework as ‘priority communities’. They are: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) communities, people with disabilities, culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities, children and young people, and older people.
Administrative data
Administrative data refers to data typically collected by an agency or service provider as a by-product of providing services to clients or otherwise undertaking a core business activity
Mainstream services
Mainstream services in the context of this framework refers to any organisation which provides a service that is not primarily intended to identify or respond to family violence. Such services include police, education facilities, courts and healthcare services.
1 Royal Commission into Family Violence (RCFV) 2016, Volume 1 Report and recommendations, Victoria, p.9.
Updated