South Australia’s Royal Commission into Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence begins its next phase today with the first Public Hearings getting underway.

The first two sessions cover Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence and Housing (day 1) and Sexual Violence (day 2) and represent the start of more in-depth examinations of key areas of interest for the Commission.

Commissioner Natasha Stott Despoja AO will make an opening statement at 9.30am.

More Public Hearings will be held next month and into early next year to hear evidence from experts and service providers, and from those interacting with the domestic, family and sexual violence sector.

The hearings will be accessible to members of the public only via a live stream on the Commission’s website. The full witness list is also available on the Public Hearings page.

Updates will also be provided on the Commission's X account.

Background

A background document titled “The Journey So Far” is also available on the website. The document provides an overview of the Commission’s inquiries to date, including hundreds of hours of engagement through its four month “listening phase”, information from more than 350 written submissions and over 550 responses to the Share With Us survey.

The Commission is investigating how the domestic, family and sexual violence systems in South Australia can be improved across the spectrum of prevention, early intervention, response and recovery and healing, so that these systems better meet the need of those who use them and work within them.

To date, the Commission has held more than 80 listening sessions across metropolitan Adelaide, and in regional visits to Port Lincoln, Port Pirie, Port Augusta, Mount Gambier and Kangaroo Island.

Sessions to date include with speaking with judges and magistrates, LGBTQIA+ community members and services, Aboriginal people and Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations, social workers, students, migrant and refugee services and communities, men and women in custody, services supporting men and women leaving custody, health services, police, lawyers, Members of Parliament, South Australian Commissioners, drug and alcohol services, people who have used violence, specialist domestic, family and sexual violence services, homelessness services, disability and aged care service providers and advocates, community justice centres, children and family services, academics, schools, government agencies, and local government, as well as people with lived experience.