The 2014 Conference
Here is my blog post in relation to the inaugural International Conference on Men’s Issues in 2014
The 2015 Conference
Houston, we have a solution: The initial February 2015 announcement from the conference organisers. A web site was then created – please click here to visit it. The 2015 conference was subsequently cancelled.
The 2016 Conference
The 2016 International Conference will be held in London on 8-10 July
The most visible elements of the domestic violence lobby in Australia are advocacy groups, charities and NGO’s such as ‘Our Watch‘, ‘DV Connect‘, the White Ribbon Foundation and ‘Domestic Violence NSW‘. Further groups are listed in this blog post, and with yet more examples provided here. And then in March 2020, 84 DV-related groups signed a letter to “Women’s Safety Ministers” calling for changes to purportedly better address violence against women.
In addition to scores of these mostly publicly-funded feminist groups, there exist various other significant pieces in the DVI jigsaw, particularly:
It would appear that a high degree of inter-connectivity exists between the various parties involved in the Australian Domestic Violence Industry (ADVI). The links in this web comprise mutually-beneficial flows of tangible and intangible benefits such as funding/employment opportunities, power/prestige, and an often misguided sense of achieving social justice.
Each of these groups or individuals perform an important function within the network, the unifying theme being a shared desire to maintain and expand the network and to defend it against perceived threats.
I would hazard a guess that many of these individuals share similar demographic characteristics, with further points of commonality that include:
The primary output of this industry should be a sustained reduction in the incidence of domestic violence involving both male and female perpetrators. Secondary outputs should include the provision of support for all victims and perpetrators of domestic violence, facilitating training of front-line workers who provide that support, and public education concerning the nature of domestic violence and available avenues of assistance.
The ADVI’s public education function has, however, been subverted to disseminating propaganda that is heavily imbued with feminist dogma. This has the effect of generating heightened hysteria which serves to generate further public/political support. It has created a deeply misrepresentative picture of the nature of the problem, and hence the nature of the most appropriate policy response.
One particularly egregious aspect of the ‘community education‘ undertaken by the ADVI is diverting attention from the growing incidence of violent behaviour by women, whilst engaging in the wholesale demonization of men within the community.
Anyway let’s turn our attention to the really important stuff – are these people actually getting runs on the board in terms of reducing the incidence and severity of domestic violence? For if they were then I might be inclined to keep these other concerns to myself. The reality though is that, as best we can tell, the ADVI seems to be making little or no progress at all.
How is the ADVI’s effectiveness measured? Well for the most part it isn’t, and that’s a big part of the problem. Most industries have measures of output, sometimes known as ‘key performance indicators’ (KPI). An obvious KPI for the ADVI would be the incidence of domestic violence in the community. But based on what the ADVI itself is telling us though, that figure is moving in the wrong direction (think now of the regular use of descriptors like ‘epidemic’).
On the issue of KPI’s, I came across a table in this article entitled ‘Survey of public information on key performance indicators for combating domestic violence in Australian jurisdictions‘. Sadly I note that the performance indicators for national, ACT, Tasmania, South Australia and Victorian government don’t address the safety of all citizens, only that of women and children.
In July 2016, a feminist-saturated non-profit organisation known as ANROWS, released a report that might constitute the first attempt to evaluate efforts to reduce the incidence of domestic violence against women. The summary included the following observations:
“Most evaluations used a mixed-methods design but few had robust outcome measures and none assessed the relative impact of specific components, so the authors were unable to identify effective components or service models.”
“To build an evidence base on effective integration, the report found that future evaluations should be theory-driven, measurement focused and comprehensive, including process, output and outcome indicators.”
Every industry includes dedicated and hard-working people who make a positive contribution. In the case of the ADVI however, an inordinate amount of energy and resources are devoted to simply sustaining itself … and to ballooning ever larger.
On that note, I have noticed a recent trend whereby larger players in the DVI are ‘up-sizing’ their services (and income streams) through a strategy of extending their influence and claimed expertise into other areas such as workplace harassment and in-school ‘educational’ programs.
Most of those calling for more money to be spent on domestic violence appear to be laboring under the misapprehension that the government is spending very little in its battle against domestic violence. Their memories extend no further back, nor broader than, the latest trumpeted hand-out. In truth, and in contrast, the amounts involved are quite staggering.
The total outlay towards combatting domestic violence, whilst difficult to accurately measure, is certainly be in the order of hundreds of millions of dollars. This was confirmed in a statement in 2015 by former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull:
“The fact is there are hundreds of millions, billions of dollars, spent across government that address issues connected to and related to domestic violence. You know, look at money that goes into homelessness, for example.”
It’s most troubling that no-one seems to have produced a detailed tally of how much money has been injected into the ADVI at the federal and state/territory level, including how funds were spent, by whom, and what the outcomes were. Not the media, nor feminist advocacy groups, not even hugely costly government inquiries. Compare and contrast this with the issue of trying to account for money channeled into the Indigenous lobby (Twitter thread on that issue).
Such an exercise would be difficult, but certainly not impossible. All that is required is sufficient political will to compile such a resource. The main difficulty arises because applicable funds would be allocated in various different portfolios even, for example, within a particular jurisdiction. Then again, such references usually only appear in the public domain when they paint a politically palatable picture. Perhaps that’s the real issue here.
A 2014 paper produced by the Parliament House library, although woefully incomplete, is one possible starting point in compiling such a spreadsheet. It’s weakness is that it only provides details of the dollar value of some of the relevant federal funding, and nothing whatsoever regarding state/territory funding.
(Addendum June 2019: ‘Coordination and targeting of domestic violence funding and actions‘, Auditor-General report No. 45 2018/19 (p7), stated “Total expenditure by the Commonwealth across the life of the National Plan to date, is around $723 million”)
(Addendum December 2019: Some further relevant government commitments made during the 2019 federal election campaign are noted in this other blog post)
Another indicator of the scale of expenditure at the state level is provided in the 2016 report of the Victorian Royal Commission into Family Violence, which informs us that “the Victorian Government estimates that funding for programs and services aimed at dealing with family violence in 2014–15 was $80.6 million” (p41).
A few further snippets of info can be gleaned from this other blog post wherein I briefly examine several feminist advocacy groups, noting both the level of public funding received and the nature of expenses incurred by each.
Financial statements for advocacy groups ‘Our Reach‘ and ‘White Ribbon Australia‘, for example, tell us that most of the funding received goes into the pockets of staff, directors and consultants. The average staff salary within such organisations is in excess of $80,000/year, consistent with information obtained from an online salary comparison site (pictured).
Regrettably though, only a trickle of money subsequently makes its way past generously-rewarded tertiary-educated femocrats and consultants to reach front-line workers assisting female victims of violence. Note that relatively speaking, only a miniscule amount is directed towards helping male victims.
Clearly, maintaining, building and controlling this torrent of public funding is central to what is at stake in maintaining the circle of influence that is the ADVI.
It is only common-sense to recognise that when one combines the elements listed below, one creates an environment in which substantial waste might occur and in which corrupt conduct could flourish:
Regardless of whether criminal intent is present, or simply misguided or self-serving behaviour, the key common-sense questions that need to be answered include:
Exactly how much public money has been spent by federal/state and territory governments in recent years? Who received it?
Have public funds been distributed fairly, responsibly and cost-effectively? To what extent has auditing or program evaluation occurred, and was this done independently?
Are the resourcing decisions that emerge from this feminist milieu in the long-term best interests of the broader Australian community? Here’s a recent example of what can, and increasingly will, happen (re: Kids Company, UK). And on that note, kindly refer to this July 2021 paper by Canh Dang.
A further complication is that many people refuse to contemplate that these organisations may be contributing very little to a remedy, with a common attitude that ‘they mean well’ and thus should not be insulted with requests to verify/justify what they have done with the considered public funds that they have been given responsibility for. Conversely, those people seeking to impose accountability become the focus of aggression for even publicly considering that care agencies might be incompetent or dishonest. It must have been a similar situation, for example, when the first public claims were aired concerning Catholic priests sexually abusing children.
The subject of feminist enterprise centred around the issue of domestic violence has been addressed by well-known Canadian MRA Karen Straughan:
“Violence against women in any form has been a HUGE cash cow for feminism. The more they inflate their claims regarding its pervasiveness in society, the more money pours in, and the more power they have to tinker with legislation and policy. Because it is such an emotionally charged subject, any rational scepticism of these claims (as to whether they are true in the first place, or whether feminists are accurate in their estimates of pervasiveness), is easily deflected by attacking the sceptic.”
“You can demonstrate until the cows come home just how much certain feminists are profiting from generating an inflated fear of violence against women among the public (the average [almost always feminist] director of a battered women’s shelter here in Alberta rakes in over $100k/year, and in the US, that number can be significantly higher), and people won’t care, because ending violence against women is THAT important. They won’t see the people who claim to be working to end it as the exploitative con-artists or ideologically driven religious inquisitors that they are.
If you point out that a very lucrative industry has formed around these issues, and that like any organic entity, this industry will work to sustain and grow itself rather than the other way around, you get called a conspiracy theorist. Even though none of these claims require a conspiracy to be valid–all they require is human nature.”
Another good paper concerning the nature of the domestic violence industry can be found here (Dalrock, July 2013).
In closing I would make one further observation in relation to the ‘old girls club’ character of the ADVI. Most organisations within the ADVI have a board of directors and/or an advisory group. Whilst my research was hardly exhaustive, I was unable to find a single example of a board or advisory group that included representation by a men’s group or fathers group. This exclusion of relevant stake-holders, and general lack of gender diversity, is accentuated by the fact that many DV-related organisations have few or nil male employees. Surely this is very much at odds for a movement that elsewhere stridently champions the benefits of gender diversity and inclusiveness?
Let’s take the example of WESNET who state that they work “within a feminist framework“, which most would assume to include a strong commitment to gender equality. And yet in the next breath, “WESNET supports women only management committees as most appropriate to women and children focused services and to services employing women only.”
WESNET makes a feeble effort at an appearance of objectivity, stating that although “pro-women; this has sometimes been misconstrued as meaning “anti-men” but this is not the case.” Yet search as I did I could not find a single admission regarding female perpetration of violence, nor an expression of support for male victims of their violence.
Another similar example is an allied organisation known as AWAVA, whose advisory board is entirely female.
Finally in this interview with Rosie Batty on the ABC’s 7:30 program, Rosie discloses her frank assessment of likely progress in combating DV in Australia (based on continued reliance on the feminist/Duluth approach):
“HAYDEN COOPER: … We’ve all heard that horrendous statistic of one in three women who’ve experienced physical violence. Have you seen any sign yet that that statistic, that figure is improving?
ROSIE BATTY: Look, it’s going to be a heck of a long time before we start to see changes to our statistics turn around.” (Source)
Well no-one can accuse Rosie of setting the bar too high. Meanwhile just keep signing those cheques, Prime Minister.
This graph was posted on Twitter by @JamesLNuzzo – A link to it’s source can be found here.
See also:
ACT family violence service warns $292m federal funding boost may not reach frontline (13 April 2026)
Why Dads in Family Court Need To Learn From Father X (13 October 2025)
Police want to speak with former DV charity boss who may be a witness in Adelaide murder investigation (26 September 2025)
DV Connect left more than 10,000 calls unanswered in three-month period, investigation finds (8 August 2025)
State promoted parental alienation, by Bettina Arndt (6 June 2025)
‘Cancelled’ – Uni lecturer defends herself over DV comment (29 May 2025)
Tasmanian DV truth teller under attack, by Bettina Arndt (25 May 2025)
Tasmanian police resist feminist weaponisation of DV laws, by Bettina Arndt (15 May 2025) Recommended reading
Large new study finds almost half of Australians who have experienced intimate partner violence are male (14 May 2025)
Domestic violence delusions, by Bettina Arndt (15 April 2025)
Domestic violence recovery centre exposed staff to psychological injury, SafeWork NSW says (11 October 2024)
Domestic abuse charity worker who stabbed her ex-boyfriend during campaign of violence is jailed (19 September 2024)
Federal government calls out states for missed DV staffing targets ahead of anticipated $351m support package (5 September 2024) That’s right folks, change nothing, just spend more!
Australia was just handed a report card on how it’s tackling gendered violence (22 August 2024) The feminist lobby’s idea of a “report card”. It oozes a ridiculous amount of bias and misrepresentation.
Feminism’s cash cow implodes, by Bettina Arndt (4 August 2024)
The Australian government hands out hundreds of millions per year in grants to businesses. We find much of it is wasted (18 July 2024)
An illuminating account of the early history of the DV shelter movement
Aussie men have had enough – has a push-back begun? (May 2024) Video
‘Systemic’ underpayment of community and social services workers revealed in UNSW report (23 May 2024) DV workers are under-paid, says Their ABC
DOJ’s Kristen Clarke testified she was never arrested. Court records and text messages indicate she was (1 May 2024) USA
‘Men need to hear this’: Independents call on the government to address domestic violence ’emergency’ (22 March 2024) Why only men? Do these politicians know anything about domestic violence (apart from feminist catch-cries?)
Thousands applied for this payment to escape domestic violence. Fewer than half received it (16 January 2024) Count the number of references to men and male victims.
What action looks like (?) … Tanya Plibersek announces “we’re investing more than $260 million in First Nations women and children’s safety“ (19 October 2023)
Women and children are still dying in domestic violence incidents. A proper plan and funding are needed (21 August 2023)
WA family and domestic violence services hold urgent meeting amid ‘crisis’, as cases increase (9 August 2023)
Pauline Hanson asks some pertinent questions of the Australian Government regarding their pitiful lack of support for male victims of domestic violence (May 2023) Video
Senator Katy Gallagher advises that the gov’ts 2023 Budget will be “dedicating almost $590 million to the National Plan to End Violence against Women & Children” (Source) No mention of male victims or female perpetrators, as is par for the course.
Time to #ShiftTheBurden: what the 2022-23 Federal Budget means for our sector (May 2023) Report by the pro-feminist ‘No to Violence’ group
Newly opened remote women’s shelter cannot provide refuge due to security risks, building defects (31 March 2023)
ANROWS survey reveals 1 in 4 Australians’ shock belief about domestic violence (29 March 2023) “Two in five people (41 per cent), according to the findings, mistakenly believe that domestic violence is committed equally by men and women”. It’s a shock when feminist’s No. 1 #CashCow is under threat
Family violence jobs – information for potential employment seekers produced by the Victorian government (27 February 2023)
NSW election: Labor’s pledges on domestic violence could affect existing services, PBO warns (24 March 2023)
“One of the most egregious, shameless statistical falsehoods I’ve seen in a long time, one that thoroughly shames @MayorofLondon & @TenderUK in the recently published Teachers Toolkit on addressing gender-based violence & abuse” (22 February 2023) UK Twitter thread by Ally Fogg. But on the positive side, and only following lobbying by men’s rights activists, some statistical corrections were implemented
Labor’s plan to stop social services worker exodus (1 December 2022) Hey, maybe the main problem re: staff bailing out of feminist organisations isn’t salary level
Queensland Audit Office reports a lack of information sharing in Queensland domestic violence response (10 November 2022) Why am I not surprised?
The true nature of domestic violence, a video by Mark Latham (2022)
Why do male victims of violence seem to disappear like magic? (27 October 2022)
Erin: Beyond the Bruises — The Life and Legacy of Refuge Founder Erin Pizzey (21 September 2022)
Police reveal false allegations driving the domestic violence industry, by Bettina Arndt (undated)
Domestic violence gravy train, by Bettina Arndt (14 September 2022) Recommended reading
Disgraceful act costing NSW $3.3b during Covid-19 pandemic (12 September 2022)
IPSO upholds accuracy complaint in domestic abuse report by mirror.co.uk (6 September 2022)
Transparency International Australia CEO calls for federal ICAC to look into lobbyists, Scott Morrison’s secret ministries investigation (21 August 2022)
Security upgrades to women’s refuges as abusers turn to technology (21 August 2022) NSW, Australia. Not even a passing mention of female perpetrators, male victims or male refuges. I bet that doesn’t surprise you, does it?
The Queensland Government hands another $2 million to a feminist NGO based on call data provided by them (DV Connect) (3 August 2022)
RISE row prompts fresh look at how sensitive contracts are awarded (27 July 2022) I’ve seen a few articles like this one and expect to see plenty more, as state/local administrative bodies increasingly find the courage to challenge previously funded non-performing feminist NGO’s
‘Vital piece of evidence’ for 10-year domestic violence plan finally sees the light of day after Morrison government delay (14 July 2022)
Protecting boys from sexploitation: Why the eSafety regulator isn’t interested (8 July 2022) Another excellent paper by Bettina Arndt
Not content with offering ‘guidelines‘ instructing the media how to cover domestic violence in line with feminist dogma, Our Watch is now offering tangible incentives for those who comply (May 2022) (Postscript September 2022 – Here are similar guidelines – unrelated to Our Watch – without feminist bias having been applied)
Women’s Trauma Recovery Centre founders meet following federal budget’s $25-million pledge (20 April 2022) Zero mention of male victims … as is par for the course.
Expert Addresses Common Misconceptions About Men Who Experience Intimate Partner Violence (19 April 2022)
Male domestic abuse: Lack of refuges ‘inexplicable’, charity says (31 March 2022) Not so inexplicable when you see & listen to those who are running the show
There’s $1.3 billion for women’s safety in the budget and it’s not enough (30 March 2022) Here is a link to the budget statement for women – No statement was provided for men
Queensland’s ‘patchwork’ response to domestic violence has clearly failed, police veteran says (14 March 2022)
Record boost to prevention and consent initiatives (6 March 2022)
Femicide Census: there’s a disturbing reason for the falling number of murders (27 February 2022) UK. What’s disturbing is the feminist lobby seeing the need to invent a reason to explain a drop in female victims number, in a manner that won’t threaten their (taxpayer-sourced) cash flow.
Founder of domestic abuse charity investigated after tweet saying service is for women only (31 January 2022)
What Happens When Someone Calls The National Domestic Abuse Helpline? [Short Answer] (27 November 2021) UK
Domestic abuse charities condemn ‘harsh’ sentencing of Penelope Jackson, by Patrick Sawer at The Telegraph (30 October 2021) Paywall protected article. An extremely inappropriate move by the Industry, speaking up here on behalf of a recently convicted (female) murderer. (Relevant case here)
NSW government to deliver 75 women’s refuges in biggest ever spend to tackle domestic violence (21 October 2021) The word men or male (as in male victims) doesn’t appear in this article – not even once.
‘Culture of Dishonesty:’ Lawmakers Need to Call Out Domestic Violence Half-Truths, Falsehoods, and Lies (22 October 2021) USA
Fall from Grace (4 October 2021) What people working in the DV field should look like
The Great COVID Domestic Violence Fundraiser – Quadrant Online (13 August 2021)
Police resent enforcing unjust feminist laws – former police officer speaks out. – Bettina Arndt #MENTOO (3 August 2021)
Detecting financial misreporting | Research for the World | LSE Research (7 July 2021)
Palaszczuk government to spend $30m on domestic violence prevention (news.com.au) (13 May 2021)
‘A very broken system’: why are Queensland police still getting domestic violence cases so wrong? (8 May 2021)
What women’s ministers should ask: why decades of no progress on violence? (7 April 2021) This article might be interesting, but behind a paywall
In the UK, it is estimated that the domestic abuse industry received close to £400 million a year for women. Yet despite acknowledging there were 786,000 male victims, the DA bill only sets aside £500,000 for male victims, 64p per male victim! (Source: Domestic Abuse Bill: policy equality statement Refer para 71)
Stripping charity of £5m because it’s not gender-neutral ‘puts lives at risk’ (27 February 2021) UK. And in fact funding not removed but re-allocated to organisations that were willing to meet the required commitment to assist *all* victims regardless of gender.
This Christmas the Morrison Government needs to fully fund services that keep women safe and children feeling abuse safe (22 December 2020) Australia
Lobbyland. Fixing corruption risks in lobbying (5 October 2020) by David Solomon, Australia
Urgent funding plea to aid victims of abuse (26 September 2020) Australia
‘Revenge porn new normal’ after cases surge in lockdown (18 September 2020) UK, with a similar article in ‘The Independent’. A new funding angle it would seem.
Women’s Safety NSW calls for the Australian federal government to spend $15 billion on domestic violence over twelve years (18 September 2020)
The Domestic Violence racket explained (15 September 2020) UK video. Recommended viewing
Curb cash flow to the domestic abuse lobby (9 September 2020) UK
Male victims are being left off the domestic violence conversation (20 August 2020) Canada
It is ‘all men’, to varying degrees: men’s violence against women is a systemic crisis (29 July 2020)
Comprehensive package to support WA family violence response (22 July 2020)
Governments strike $2b legal funding deal (30 June 2020)
A safe place to escape family violence during coronavirus (10 April 2020) The Victorian government hands out tens of millions of dollars more
Queensland government pledges another $5.5 million for domestic violence during Covid-19 pandemic (8 April 2020) Note that $500,000 of this has been set aside for an awareness campaign #FacePalm
“The package complements the $24.7 million coronavirus housing and homelessness response package announced by Housing Minister Mick de Brenni last month. It will also complement the Australian Government’s $150 million funding package announced by the Prime Minister late last month.
The COAG Women’s Safety Council where Queensland is represented by Minister Farmer, has agreed that $32.5 million will be provided as an initial response to states and territories to help meet urgent need, with a further $97.5 million to be allocated over the next six months”
$1.1 billion Medicare, mental health, domestic violence package on its way in response to coronavirus crisis (29 March 2020)
The government’s inaction on domestic violence slammed as ‘appalling’ & ‘irresponsible’ (9 March 2020) It’s not just the gender bias that is noisome here, it is the industry’s utter lack of self-awareness/judgement. The system isn’t working, and of course it’s the government’s fault … and the solution is for them to hand over more money now.
The Domestic Violence Industry, by Bettina Arndt (28 February 2020) Recommended reading
Blame for Florida’s non-profit pay scandal points to state officials as hearings start (23 February 2020) $51 million goes completely unaccounted for at the Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence. Later the Miami Herald reported that the nonprofit organization paid its former CEO, Tiffany Carr, more than $756,000 a year (Source).
$5 million in paid time off? Records show domestic violence agency CEO got that and more (13 February 2020) USA
The disaster that is Australia’s Domestic Violence Policy, by Helen Dale (12 February 2020)
Funding for women’s group under review after call for ban on man-woman relationships (28 January 2020)
7 myths about domestic violence (23 January 2020)
Who is best placed to help male victims of domestic violence? (21 December 2019)
$6m in family violence funding to help double the sector’s workforce (25 November 2019)
Failed charity White Ribbon tied in knots (6 November 2019)
Unpaid White Ribbon staff to get taxpayer-funded lifeline (21 October 2019) Australia
The Australian Women Against Violence Alliance because every industry needs a lobbying platform to oppose threats like proposed inquiries that may challenge the feminist perspective (and related income streams)
Domestic violence still at ‘unprecedented’ levels despite hundreds of millions being spent (5 September 2019) A lesson in asking questions about the industry without asking any of the real questions
Audit of the Office on Violence Against Women and California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (August 2019) See how they cheat
Stop the feminist control of domestic violence funding (29 July 2019) by Bettina Arndt
Audit doubts outcomes of plan to tackle domestic violence (14 June 2019) Australia. Gee, why am I not surprised? Here is a link to the actual audit report.
Claims of mismanagement, nepotism at big domestic violence service (31 May 2019) And I predict that there’s plenty more stories like this to come
Where’s the oversight on government grants? (10 April 2019) USA
White Ribbon organisation gets a little government hand-out because …. err … some reason (17 February 2019) Video of Senator Leyonhjelm
Morrison promises $78 million for combatting domestic violence (11 February 2019)
Refuge charity boss Sandra Horley accused of bullying culture (7 January 2019) UK. Expect many more stories like this one. And look at her salary!
Four years on, it’s impossible to hear Rosie and not want to do something (2 November 2018)
“The NSW Domestic and Family Violence Blueprint for Reform is funded for $300 million over the next four years. While it might not match the $1.9 billion promised by the Victorian government, it’s certainly a huge step further than the minuscule $18.2 from the Federal government.”
“As Rosie Batty said at the forum last week, “cut out the word ‘family’, cut out the word ‘domestic’ – this is just violence. And let’s call it what it is. It’s terrorism.” (my comment: But it seems we can’t cut out the DV = violence against women label that appears on almost all inquiries or gov’t agencies or NGO’s)
2018 federal budget: Turnbull Government all talk, no action on family violence (10 May 2018) Strong pro-feminist perspective in body of article but some federal/state expenditure data provided (although no links to sources provided)
Former employees warn of ‘toxic’ culture at domestic abuse charity Refuge (22 June 2018) UK
The sad truth about the Luke Batty Foundation (19 February 2018) and Wrongdoing at Luke Batty Foundation is indefensible (22 February 2018) Mark Latham’s Outsiders discusses alleged financial irregularities and the abuse & turnover of female directors and staff, culminating in the closure of the Foundation.
Feminists laugh at the idea of violence against men (2017) Video. One can just imagine the women pictured being appointed to head a feminist NGO ‘fighting’ domestic violence. And voila …
Cory Bernardi is using provocative motions to make ideological points in the Senate (16 November 2017) showing how DV organisations can/do attempt to influence policy in other areas in support of feminist ideology. See rebuttal from Corrine Barraclough here.
DV Connect chief executive Diane Mangan axed from role amid dispute (8 November 2017)
Senior Australian public servants demonstrating their unswerving support for the feminist narrative and the DVI (12 April 2017) Video
Feminists against men’s domestic violence shelters (24 May 2017) Video
Victorian budget 2017: record spending to break family violence (2 May 2017) Open wide all those feminist snouts!
“The same policies will only produce the same tragedies. That’s why I promised to change it all.” So said Premier Andrews, and yet the same fundamental approach is to be followed – with the addition of all those millions more taxpayer dollars. In other words an approach underpinned by feminist ideology/the Duluth Model, and with ‘awareness’ and support services run by the same feminist lobby groups who have previously received funds in the past. And this despite those groups shunning male victims, turning a blind eye to female perpetrators, and producing no measurable improvement in the incidence of DV.
Family Violence Workforce Census (April 2017) Interesting to see the feminist Victorian Government acknowledging this glad-handing network as an ‘industry’. Further details available here.
Our Watch charity invited to assess its own schools gender equity program (4 February 2017) An obvious conflict of interest, but might as well keep the $$ within the family, right?
Domestic Violence Industry: Nights with Miranda Devine (12 January 2017) Miranda talks with Sex Therapist, Psychologist and Men’s rights activist, Bettina Arndt about the misuse of AVO’s and the industry that surrounds it. Australia
The White Ribbon Breakfast ~ where the cash cow meets the gravy train (28 October 2016)
Feminist charity quits Scottish Women’s Aid network in dispute over male director (21 October 2016) UK. Related Reddit discussion thread here.
Domestic violence double standards – male MP was forced to stand down when cautioned for assaulting partner yet Sarah Champion receives support for same crime (26 September 2016) UK
UK Domestic Violence Charities’ Finances (16 September 2016) Recommended reading.
“What is the overall level of public funding to UK Domestic Violence (DV) charities? The answer is not widely known (is it known at all outside the closed doors of the sector itself?). The financing of the DV sector is obscure partly because of the many hundreds of different charities in the sector.” Just as is the case in Australia
Exposing the fraudulent DV lobby (9 September 2016)
Bashing of ‘domestic violence industry’ beyond the pale, by Anne Summers (3 September 2016) Wishy-washy defence of the ADVI that avoids ALL of the points of criticism, relying primarily on the straw-man argument that if you disrespect the ADVI then you are also disrespecting victims of domestic violence:
“How despicable – and un-Australian – for politicians and journalists to so cruelly mock those who suffer racism or violence with the ugly inference that they are just fodder for an “industry””
“the people who work to end the epidemic”? Firstly there is no “epidemic”, and secondly I am unaware of any evidence to support the assertion that the feminist ADVI is doing anything to “end” it … or even reduce it.
Vested interests ‘have taken over the domestic violence debate’: Leyonhjelm (26 August 2016)
Wales gives 77 times as much money to women’s groups than men’s groups (21 August 2016)
Always beating up on men, by Bettina Arndt (20 August 2016) with introductory piece here
The Domestic Violence Industry – Parts 1 & 2 (17 July 2016 & 6 August 2016)
Stop the man-bashing: It’s time to fight back against feminism, by Corrine Barraclough (29 July 2016) Australia
Victoria Is Spending More Money On Domestic Violence Than The Federal Government (15 July 2016)
Revealed: The Lavish Spending That Brought Down Britain’s Only LGBT Domestic Abuse Charity (5 July 2016) UK, with related Reddit discussion thread here
Public money wasted on domestic violence organisations, by Bettina Arndt (9 July 2016) More than 180 readers comments at last count, the vast majority of which support Bettina’s position on the matter.
ACT government dreams up a new way to top up the coffers of the DVI – A domestic violence levy, by Angela Shanahan (18 June 2016)
F4J call for inquiry into violence & drug taking at contact handover involving Domestic Violence charity in Greenwich (17 May 2016) UK
Domestic violence ad campaign to focus on ‘influencers’ in bid to change attitudes (20 April 2016) Australia. This is the new campaign. There is little/no evidence that such campaigns actually reduce the incidence of DV, but by jingo $30million sure will help some lucky pro-feminist PR/marketing company. And here Mary Barry, CEO of feminist advocacy group ‘Our Watch’ barracks on the irresponsible people feeding the feminist juggernaut with ever-more $$$
Family Violence royal commission proposes policing, social services, courts overhaul (31 March 2016) Australia. Commissioner Neave admits we don’t really know how much is being spent on combatting family violence, only that millions, maybe billions, more needs to be spent. Even if it requires a special tax levy.
Letter to Malcolm Turnbull: domestic violence must be a budget priority (16 March 2016) More sir!
Shane Warne Foundation not alone in charity spending ambiguity (15 March 2016) Australia. More and better scrutiny of not-for-profits? Bring it on – and let’s start with feminist organisations.
To see just how out-of-control the DVI can get, please read ‘Spain gender laws: A country against men‘ (18 February 2016)
Australian of the Year David Morrison’s $15,000 speaking fee (4 February 2016) Elizabeth Broderick $10k/gig and Rosie Batty a bargain at only $5k. Oh and now it transpires that he’s getting $200,000 for 25 days work. Hands up who thinks the same sorts of generous arrangements would be uncovered if anyone was brave enough to delve into the finances of high-profile SJW women?
Rosie Batty’s legacy: more women leaving abusive relationships (24 January 2016) Please Sir! May I have more (money)? More calls from women (based on statistics generated by groups with a pecuniary interest, and which are unlikely to ever be verified/audited) does not necessarily equal lowering the incidence of domestic violence at all, let alone doing so in a cost-effective manner.
Thanks for your words about respecting women, Mr Turnbull. Now show us your deeds (7 January 2016) Australia
“I’m not discounting Turnbull’s commitment of $100m for domestic violence services. It is a good start” Except of course this commitment was hardly a “start”, more like the latest big ladle of mash in a very large trough. Note the author is already using the DV Connect call figures as leverage to argue for more funding.
Influx of calls to domestic violence helplines this year (6 January 2016) And of course the veracity of DV Connect’s record-keeping will be subject to careful scrutiny.
How feminists and a Police Commissioner’s Office conspired against male victims of domestic violence on Twitter (5 January 2016) UK
Smoke, Mirrors And Violence Against Women (5 January 2016) Australia
Vera Baird facing probe after awarding more than £500,000 of taxpayers’ money to the charity she runs with force police chief (26 December 2015) UK
Why I’m backing QLD Labor Premier on male victims | Talk About Men (25 October 2015)
Domestic violence initiatives to receive $41 million funding package from Federal Government, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to go hard against domestic violence, and Domestic violence experts welcome $100m boost, but say more is needed (24 September 2015) That’s a lot of happy feminist snouts in a very large trough of public funds, whilst female perpetrators and their victims continue to be ignored.
Former Premier Anna calls on men to report mates guilty of domestic violence (15 September 2015) Domestic violence unabated? It’s nothing to do with the strategies being utilised and the underlying philosophy (i.e. feminism/Duluth Model), nope it’s because a) more government funding needed and/or b) men aren’t doing enough. Priceless!
Vernon Beck – How the Domestic Violence Industry Destroys Families (19 July 2015) Canadian video
Anti-Islam group deregistered for masquerading as domestic violence group (2 July 2015)
Rosie Batty – The Opposite Case (28 June 2015)
A welcome response from government to domestic violence crisis (5 June 2015) Since when does handing millions more to the same groups, running the same programs, whilst not reducing the problem one iota, constitute governments “lifting their game“?
Anti-violence funding ‘lacks transparency and cohesion’ (16 May 2015)
Budget 2015: ‘Government failed domestic violence test’ (13 May 2015) A ‘fail’, yet another $17 million goes into the pot. Oh, and just a few days later (17 May 2015) here is another $4 million
This article exemplifies the ‘hurry up and spend more’ tone of most DV-related coverage in the mainstream media
$17M boost for domestic and family violence support (1 April 2015) Queensland Minister fails to identify the nine organisations that will get the $$$
Three Accused of Stealing Funds from Domestic Violence Shelter (31 March 2015) Expect to see more stories like this
Coalition reverses Labor’s funding cuts on homelessness with $230 million commitment prioritising victims of domestic violence (23 March 2015)
National $30 million campaign to tackle domestic violence (5 March 2015) Open wide, here comes lots more public funding for “awareness”
Baird promises Domestic Violence Minister (6 March 2015) More costly affectatious pandering to the feminist lobby. Disregard the fact that the cost of changing letterhead paper, brochures, business cards and office signage etc, would probably be enough to maintain a refuge for male victims of domestic violence for a couple of years. How about a Minister for Skin Cancer? Minister for Stopping Motor Vehicle Accidents? (Refer this blog post)
White Ribbon CEO Libby Davies jumps the cash cow (22 February 2015)
Domestic violence funding in NSW: Rosie Batty as Australian of the Year raises profile of state ‘epidemic’ (26 January 2015)
In January 2015 the West Australian government went against the flow and bravely decided to terminate a costly failed experiment (Domestic violence court axed). Despite the fact that they made it clear the decision was not based on saving money – that it was counter-productive in terms of victim outcomes – they were castigated by feminists on the basis of being uncaring about the welfare of ‘women and their children’:
“Attorney-General Michael Mischin’s decision comes nine months after the release of details of a draft review which found that offenders dealt with in the five Perth family violence courts, which cost close to $10 million a year to operate, were 2.4 times more likely to go on to commit further acts of violence than matched offenders in the mainstream system.”
And yet despite the WA decision, just a week later either the same, or a very similar, system was proposed for Queensland.
In reading this article one recognises certain parallels between ‘rape culture’ and the ‘epidemic of domestic violence’, and the two-legged remoras that attach themselves to each: ‘The Hunting Ground’: Reaping Profit from Rape Hysteria (26 March 2015)
“A brilliant funding strategy” – How and why feminists took over the domestic violence movement Interviews with Erin Pizzey, Senator Anne Cools, Warren Farrell and others (You Tube video)
How did male victims of domestic violence disappear? A video by Tom Golden (9 April 2012)
How Much Taxpayer Money is Enough for Domestic Violence Programs? (20 April 2009) USA
Differences in Frequency of Violence and Reported Injury Between Relationships With Reciprocal and Nonreciprocal Intimate Partner Violence (May 2007) One of the many papers that show just how wrong the feminist lobby can be.
Finally, this series of email exchanges is really quite eye-opening about the theoretical basis for the way in which feminist domestic violence agencies conduct themselves. See NCFM South African Member Jason Dale, a must read email exchange about the Duluth model of domestic violence (23 March 2015)
Elsewhere in this blog you might be interested in:
Going Batty: The making of a champion of the Domestic Violence Industry
Two awareness campaigns. Only one can be criticised. Cowed by feminism?
Australian feminist attacks integrity of advocacy group for male victims of domestic violence
Grotesque hypocrisy by feminist politicians (re: domestic violence)
Australian taxpayer-funded organisations that do little/nothing for men (other than demonising them)
Australian Government cuts back funding to advocacy groups, except feminist ones
NSW feminist groups seek to roll back reform of domestic violence shelters
Shyness is the feeling of apprehension, lack of comfort, or awkwardness especially when a person is in proximity to other people. This commonly occurs in new situations or with unfamiliar people.
Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have a negative effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems.
Both shyness and obesity have a physiological, psychological/behavioural and genetic dimension. To some extent, and depending on the individual, both shyness and obesity may be involuntary rather than chosen patterns of behaviour. In both cases certain negative stereotypes are assigned to members of these two groups by people of both genders. So while they are different issues, they are also similar in some ways.
Despite these similarities, however, the feminist approach to these two groups of people is quite different. Many feminists think that dissing shy guys is perfectly acceptable because they recognise them as losers, sociopaths and/or misogynists. On the other hand feminists stridently assert that dissing fat women is reprehensible, and that such women deserve our respect and support. Why is this so?
It is worth noting that the feminist attitude towards shy guys is inconsistent not just in relation to their approach to chunky women, but also with respect to negative feminist attitudes towards stereotypically masculine patterns of behaviour, particularly assertive and controlling behaviours.
Shy guys:
Just google on ‘shy guys misogynist’, ‘shy guys MRA’ or ‘shy guys sociopath’ and you’ll quickly uncover feminist/white knight gems like these:
The plight of the bitter nerd: Why so many awkward, shy guys end up hating feminism (10 January 2015)
http://loveshyguys.tumblr.com/
Are nice guys sociopaths? by David Futrelle (19 August 2011)
Finally, this article by Ian Miles Cheong discusses feminist concerns regarding the nerdy men portrayed in the TV series ‘The Big Bang Theory’ (3 September 2017)
Fat women:
Is Fat a Feminist Issue? Exploring the Gendered Nature of Weight Bias (19 June 2011)
14 Painful Examples Of Everyday Fat-Shaming (16 December 2013)
10 Frightening Ways We Discriminate Against Fat People (27 September 2013)
The following visitor/hits statistics were compiled on 30 January 2015.
These figures are incomplete as for much of the first six months that I operated this site, I had the visitor counter function disabled due to technical glitches it appeared to be causing. Nevertheless the following information is of some value in terms of identifying the relative areas of interest to site visitors thus far.
1 – Table of Contents … Visits: 86,204 (Hits: 86,745)
2 – The ‘Marriage Strike’ and MGTOW … Visits: 18,461 (Hits: 22,906)
3 – Feminist efforts to shut down, disrupt and/or denigrate the 2014 Conference on Mens Issues … Visits: 11,506 (Hits: 11,550)
4 – About this blog … Visits: 11,189 (Hits: 11,256)
5 – Readers at ‘The Conversation’ call for an end to feminist bias and censorship (domestic violence) … Visits: 10,830 (Hits: 10,891)
6 – Addressing systemic gender bias in the WA Department for Child Protection and Family Support … Visits: 9,736 (Hits: 9,835)
7 – Profound gender bias at the Australian Human Rights Commission … Visits: 7,845 (Hits: 9,130)
8 – Gender bias at the Australian Department of Social Services … Visits: 7,407 (Hits: 7,461)
9 – I thought women were meant to be more empathetic? … Visits: 6,969 (Hits: 6,988)
10 – If feminists have a genuine case then what’s with all the distortion, lies and exaggeration? … Visits: 6,925 (Hits: 8,100)
I have absolutely nothing personal against Rosie Batty, and in fact as a parent myself I have a great deal of sympathy for anyone who has lost a child under such horrific circumstances. Her tragic loss has provided her with a unique and potentially valuable insight, but it does not qualify her to direct public policy on dealing with domestic violence in the community. She is but one person affected by a scourge that has affected thousands of Australians.
This is a complex topic and we need to hear about, and be open to, the experiences and opinions of many others. We should also ensure that we consider different theoretical/ideological perspectives and not, as is done now, exclude serious consideration of all but one approach (feminism/Duluth Model).
Rosie has transformed herself and/or allowed herself to be transformed, into a veritable battering ram for the domestic violence industry. Feminist advocates and their allies in the media and political sphere have, like so many roman centurions, arranged themselves around her and are pressing her forward. Broader political events here in Australia have added further momentum as politicians look about for suitable populist issues with which to score cheap points and/or divert attention from other matters. This is patently obvious in Prime Minister Malcom Turnbull’s adoption of DV as one of his personal cause celebre.
This focussing of attention could have been a great thing in terms of getting decisive action on the issue of family violence and related issues like child abuse and elder abuse. But it won’t be. It won’t be because the whole episode is being choreographed by the archly-feminist domestic violence industry.
As a result all we will get is more of the same old failed and shockingly biased resourcing decisions and ‘initiatives’:
None of which have been proven to have any significant effect on reducing actual rates of perpetration and/or re-offending
And thus now we are witnessing a competition amongst state and federal politicians as to who cares the most about domestic violence, with ‘care’ manifesting itself through hideously costly inquiries and hand-outs to advocacy groups.
Here is a timeline of events:
Father who killed son, Luke Batty, at cricket ground had history of mental illness, says boy’s anguished mother (14 February 2014)
Luke Batty’s grieving mother speaks out on family violence (19 February 2014)
“The mother of Luke Batty says Australians need to have a greater understanding of family violence. Rosie Batty has also urged men to address the problem, in a long and emotional interview less than a week after her 11-year-old son was killed by his father at a Victorian cricket ground.”
Rosie Batty blasts Studio 10 host Joe Hildebrand on morning TV (2 April 2014)
Rosie Batty storms out of her murdered son’s inquest, almost in tears (23 October 2014)
It’s a disgrace some want Rosie to share the blame (23 October 2014)
Rosie Batty appointed ‘Australian of the Year’ (25 January 2015)
Rosie Batty’s speech after becoming 2015 Australian of the Year (25 January 2015)
Federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten seized the opportunity of Rosie’s appointment to climb higher upon the feminist bandwagon by calling for a federal Royal Commission on domestic violence. Someone should remind him that a federal inquiry is already underway and is due to report in March 2015.
Predictably the media then went to the Government to ask them whether they would support a national Royal Commission. Thank goodness that the Government stood its ground against this misguided proposal – at least thus far – although they did make other concessions.
Domestic violence funding in NSW: Rosie Batty as Australian of the Year raises profile of state ‘epidemic’ (26 January 2015)
Rosie Batty, Australian of the Year, will save lives of family violence victims, former police commissioner Ken Lay says (26 January 2015)
Ken Lay is one of the most well-recognised ‘white knights‘ on behalf of the Australian feminist movement, known for his frequent use of the incorrect statement that the “overwhelming majority” of domestic violence was perpetrated by men upon women.
Rosie Batty: I’d like to see a government campaign to stop domestic violence (27 January 2015)
Rosie Batty and Ken Lay appointed to new domestic violence advisory panel (28 January 2015)
I posted a quite cordial comment in response to this article but gee whiz, look what happened:
This comment was removed by a moderator because it didn’t abide by our community standards. Replies may also be deleted. For more detail see our FAQs.
Imagine that, a pro-feminist news source (The Guardian) censoring a (polite and non-threatening) dissenting viewpoint. Seriously now, this happens so often that I really must get into the habit of creating screen-saves each time I post a comment. (And so I did – refer below)
Any response to family violence must include funding legal services (29 Jan 2015)
Rosie Batty – The Opposite Case (28 June 2015) Video
We must support Rosie Batty as she highlights domestic violence (6 February 2015)
Rosie Batty on why passion must lead to change on family violence (7 Feb 2015) In this article Rosie again makes no mention of the existence of male victims or female perpetrators. Rosie also suggests that the courts are biased towards the interests of the men’s rights movement and the rights of fathers.
‘Stop blaming the victim’: Rosie Batty to address MPs (2 March 2015) Rosie admits that the factors driving violent behaviour are “not readily understood“, whilst in the same paragraph asserting that it’s all about “gender inequality and “men’s sense of entitlement that a woman is their possession“. Except for violence committed by women, of course.
Rosie Batty calls for funds as poll finds family violence feared above terrorism (6 July 2015) and related reddit discussion thread
Rosie Batty should apologise for this insult to Tony Abbott (28 September 2015)
See also:
Rosie Batty challenges men to ‘step up’ to end violence (3 April 2024)
Dad begs people not to judge cancer-stricken mum suspected of killing son in murder-suicide (31 August 2020) What a contrast!
Batty ‘thrilled’ with government call to remove Arndt’s gong, calls for men to join push (30 January 2020)
Rosie Batty speaks out against Australia Day award winner Bettina Arndt (26 January 2020) And this item by Bettina addresses points raised by Batty and her feminist cronies
Family law inquiry given green light by Senate as Rosie Batty questions Pauline Hanson’s role (18 September 2019)
Why people are furious John Setka reportedly invoked Rosie Batty’s name, by Wendy Tuohy (12 June 2019) It seems that he was expressing concern about the Domestic Violence Industry generally, rather than specifically about Rosie Batty, but look at the reaction.
Queen’s birthday honours list recognises trailblazers Rosie Batty and Ita Buttrose (10 June 2019)
The sad truth about the Luke Batty Foundation (19 February 2018) and Wrongdoing at Luke Batty Foundation is indefensible (22 February 2018) Mark Latham’s Outsiders discusses alleged financial irregularities and the abuse & turnover of female directors and staff, culminating in the closure of the Foundation.
If only Rosie Batty Hadn’t made her trauma about power (31 July 2017)
Rosie Batty joins 7.30 to discuss the Summit on family violence (28 February 2017)
Mark Latham’s attack on Rosie Batty rejected by head of Rosie Batty Foundation (1 November 2016)
‘Women are being traumatised’: Rosie Batty call to end cross-examination by ‘abusers’ (25 October 2016) No mention, of course, of men traumatized via abuse and/or false accusations.
Rosie Batty partners with Lancome for domestic violence campaign (18 September 2016)
Anti-violence campaigner Rosie Batty shares son Luke’s struggle with male role models (13 September 2016) Conveniently ignores the fact that girls are equally likely to grow to become abusers after exposure to violence/neglect perpetrated by mum and/or dad (or mum’s male partner).
Rosie Batty and Danny Blay Speak about MRA’s (15 June 2016)
Rosie Batty Says Men Who Have Never Hit Women Can Still Be Dangerous (15 June 2016) And women? Hmm, not so much it seems
Rosie Batty to lead family violence survivors council (23 March 2016)
Rosie Batty: Face to face with a domestic violence perpetrator (15 March 2016)
“The prospect of a feminist party in Australia intrigues Ms Batty. But she is not sure if she would make the giant step from activist to politician. “I would never discount it … who knows, all I do know is that I genuinely want to make a difference and so if I was comfortable and confident that I could make a significant difference through a political career, I think I would definitely consider that. I think it would be a real privilege to be given that opportunity.””
Saying goodbye to Rosie (25 January 2016)
Mark Latham slams Rosie Batty’s ‘feminist nonsense’ in podcast spray (22 January 2016) Some very interesting comments to be found amongst those in this reddit/r/Australia discussion thread
Outstanding response to Rosie Batty article (7 January 2016)
Liberal MP Graham Watt remained seated during Rosie Batty standing ovation (27 November 2015) See readers comments
Mark Latham argues we are putting women in danger (27 June 2015)
An open letter to Rosie Batty, by Mark Dent (15 March 2015)
Sanctified bigotry (10 February 2015)
Rosie Batty launches anti-domestic violence app for young women (15 February 2015) How easy it would have been to market this App as a tool for both young men and women, and what a sad indictment of feminism (& Ms. Batty) that this did not occur.
Is Rosie Batty Using Her Child’s Death For Her Own Fame And Fortune? (25 Jan 2015) Whilst many will consider this an unduly harsh and cynical assessment of the situation, I’ll let you be the judge as to the validity of the points raised within the context of the broader Australian DV debate.
For non-Australian readers: The meaning of the phrase “going batty“
In exchanges within the reader’s comments section that follow various articles on the topic of DV, I have noted supporters of Ms Batty asserting that she is a champion for all victims of domestic violence. Her own Twitter profile makes it quite clear that is not the case.
Hi
I just got back from a trip and whilst I was overseas I had a shop produce a series of stickers in accordance with my demanding specifications.
Rest assured they weren’t produced under sweatshop conditions like the infamous “This is what a feminist looks like“ T-shirts.
I’ve pasted copies of the some of the stickers below for your viewing pleasure:
And here is a link to a copy of the .pdf file that includes all of the stickers
Feel free to customise/modify and then get your own stickers made
Help spread the word
“Law reforms, including harsh criminal penalties, may be needed for elder abuse to be taken seriously in Australia, delegates at a national elder abuse conference have been told.
Brisbane-based elder law specialist Brian Herd joined Canadian gerontologist Dr Gloria Gutman in likening the significance of elder abuse today to that of domestic violence 30 years ago: unacknowledged, unspoken and kept behind closed doors.” (Source)
As with other forms of domestic violence, elder abuse includes both physical violence and emotional abuse.
In America, the National Center on Elder Abuse, Bureau of Justice Statistics 2014, provides us with the following snapshot:
Average number of elderly abuse cases each year 2,150,000. Percent of female elder abuse victims 67.3 %. Median age of elder abuse victims 77.9. Breakdown of Reported Elder Abuse Cases: Neglect 58.5 %. Physical Abuse 15.7 %. Financial Exploitation 12.3 %. Emotional Abuse 7.3 %. Sexual Abuse 0.04 %. All other types 5.1 %. Unknown 0.06 %. (Source)
The results of a West Australian study also found that more elderly women than men were abused.
On the other hand, it has not been so easy, thus far, to identify the gender balance with regards to those perpetrating abuse. I wrote to the agency that released the report on aged care in Australia (referred to later in this blog post) seeking available data on this matter. They responded in the following manner:
“The most current available national data relating to the gender balance in the aged care workforce shows that in 2012 in both residential and community aged care, males comprised just over 10 per cent of the direct care workforce. The proportion of men working in residential aged care is slightly higher than in community aged care at 11 per cent or about 16,000 male care workers while in community aged care there are about 9,000 male care workers. In 2012 the female direct care workforce in both residential and community aged care comprised approximately 215,000 people.”
“In relation to your request, the Department of Social Services does not collect information about staff disciplinary action taken by aged care facilities. The management of misconduct of staff is a matter for the provider of the aged care service. The Australian Health Practitioner Regulatory Agency (AHPRA) manages investigations into the professional conduct, performance or health of registered health practitioners. As you may be aware the Aged Care Complaints Scheme (the Scheme) is a national programme managed by the Department. The Scheme’s primary role is to respond to concerns raised by care recipients or clients, their representatives and others regarding the quality of care or services provided through Australian Government subsidised aged care services. The Scheme assesses the information received and determines whether the approved provider has met their obligations and responsibilities under the Aged Care Act 1997.”
Thus the lack of data is partly attributable to the very low number of abusers who are actually sanctioned or convicted. It is, however, generally recognised that most of those who abuse older people in an institutional setting are women. (Source)
Why am I not surprised that the feminist movement has been silent on this issue? Just as in the case of child neglect/abuse, women perpetrating partner violence (or any violence for that matter!), female teachers preying on students, and so on.
Elder abuse typically occurs either in the victims own home or in an aged care facility, with the perpetrators usually being caregivers. In the home the primary caregiver is typically an adult daughter. In aged care facilities the perpetrators are usually staff of the facility, most of whom are also female.
Here in Australia: “More than 2,353 allegations of physical and sexual assault were made by nursing home residents in 2013-14 – an increase of more than 100 on the previous year … The figures, revealed in the annual report on the operation of the Aged Care Act, drew calls from aged care advocates for greater transparency and accountability.” Read more at Aged Care – More allege assault (23 December 2014)
I couldn’t help but notice the clear element of ‘victim-blaming’ that features at the end of the article:
“RESPONDING to the report, Aged and Community Services Australia chief executive John G Kelly highlighted behavioural problems as a concern.
“It is a sad reality that there are now more people in aged care and a greater proportion of those have dementia, leading to behaviours the person would never have even considered before they had dementia,” he said.”
I certainly can’t imagine anyone making a similar statement about victims of domestic violence involving intimate partners, i.e. blaming the incidence of violence on annoying behaviour displayed by those who are assaulted.
Further, it’s interesting to note the number of cases where women are said to be over-represented amongst the ranks of elder-abusers because they are more often the ones who shoulder the responsibility for providing care and support to the victim.
Yet were someone to offer the same justification for a male perpetrator involved in partner violence situation, well that would certainly be met with the utmost degree of scorn, viz. ‘The poor man had all the pressure to meet the financial needs of the household, and he just couldn’t manage to hold it together’.
Perhaps yet another case of one gender being held to a certain standard, and the other being held to a quite separate one.
See also:
Moment carer throws dementia-stricken man, 88, around ‘like a rag doll’ and threatens to ‘beat him up’ before his death (1 July 2025) UK
‘Pool and everything’: Elderly couple’s account drained (21 April 2024)
Woman jailed after £37,000 theft from grandfather (21 March 2023)
Shameless shopkeeper who told deaf 81-year-old his EuroMillions ticket was a LOSER so she could steal his £130,000 (6 March 2022)
Nurse’s ‘vile, despicable’ theft of dead man’s bank card (2 March 2022)
Cleaner who allegedly murdered 92yo didn’t look deranged: Court (4 February 2022)
Woman’s haunting description of brutal attack revealed in court (24 January 2022)
Mackay great-grandma sues daughter-in-law over alleged $400k financial misconduct (21 January 2022)
Man ‘had to save to buy shaving foam’ after care worker stole from him (15 November 2021) UK
Woman discovers her best friend stole £16,000 in jewellery from her blind aunt, 102, after she hired her as her carer (8 November 2021) Received suspended sentence – of course!
Logan carer Dianne Joy Kelly on trial for allegedly strangling a disabled boy (2 November 2021)
Renowned sculptor Nancy Ann Frankel dead, killed by Maryland housemate Julia Birch (nypost.com) (30 July 2021)
Twin sisters steal grandparents’ savings and don’t have to return it (31 March 2021) And they are not even forced to pay it back! Maggots
‘Unacceptable’ delay in addressing aged care assaults of 100 per week (13 September 2020) Australia. Unsurprisingly, there’s no mention of the gender of perpetrators
Another example of aged care abuse by women. This one in Michigan, USA (24 May 2020) Video
“She wanted to do that for me”: Woman with power of attorney takes thousands from 97-year-old with dementia (3 March 2020)
This woman’s treatment may be shocking, but it’s not assault (24 September 2018) Australia. But somehow I think if the media had a video with male carers then it *would* be labelled as assault.
Aged care horror: ‘It was the most atrocious act’ (25 June 2018)
Ballina nursing home deaths: Megan Haines guilty of murdering two patients with fatal insulin dose (3 November 2016)
Ontario nurse charged in deaths of 8 nursing home residents (26 October 2016)
Granddad’s heartbreak: Abused by the girl I raised (27 May 2016) Australia
Daughter Charged In Death Of Elderly Mother Over Property Dispute (23 April 2016) USA
Submission by ‘Justice Connect’ to the 2016 Australian Federal Senate Inquiry into Domestic Violence and Gender Inequality (Submission #37). This organisation asserts that approx. 60% elder abuse is perpetrated by males, but they don’t differentiate between abuse taking place in institutional settings versus other environments. They claim that most of those reporting abuse are female, but don’t address the issue of propensity of male vs female victims to report abuse. They do point out that there are more women than men in the community, in the most vulnerable age groups.
On elder abuse in America (with reddit discussion thread here)
Aged care workers cite abuse and neglect of nursing home patients (14 August 2013)
A newly-installed government in Victoria has announced not just an inquiry, but a Royal Commission, into domestic violence. A Royal Commission is a hugely expensive exercise which shall directly and indirectly pump lots more money into the coffers of the Australian domestic violence industry. It has been suggested that the Royal Commission will take one year and AUD$50 million to complete (Source).
Bearing in mind the findings of earlier inquiries including Queensland (only released late February 2015), plus the ongoing federal inquiry, I am highly sceptical as to the cost-effectiveness of the Victorian exercise. Even the staunchly pro-feminist advocacy group, White Ribbon Australia, have expressed similar sentiments.
The Victorian Royal Commission will be chaired by Justice Marcia Neave, with support from Deputy Commissioners Tony Nicholson and Patricia Faulkner, and will be tasked with finding the most effective ways to:
An article that appeared in the Herald-Sun began with:
“WOMEN will be given the chance to tell their harrowing stories with Australia’s first Royal Commission into Family Violence expected to begin in February.”
The author, Alex White, is thus either ignorant of the existence of male victims of DV or perhaps believes that they are simply not worth hearing from. Alex concludes with the erroneous statement, “It will be the first government backed family violence inquiry in Australia’s history.”
One only hopes, most probably in vain – that this inquiry might generate unbiased discussion leading to sensible fair and effective measures to reduce violence.
A copy of the original media release entitled ‘Nothing Off Limits in Family Violence Royal Commission‘ is here. It sounded promising, appearing as it did to be written in a gender-neutral manner.
The terms of reference are here, and unfortunately the bias emerges with old feminist clangers like:
“While both men and women can be perpetrators or victims of family violence, overwhelmingly the majority of perpetrators are men and victims are women and children.” (This statement was addressed in another blog post)
“The causes of family violence are complex and include gender inequality and community attitudes towards women” (except for the fact the couples with the greatest propensity to partner violence are lesbian couples)
“For women and children, family violence has extensive and often long term physical, psychological and emotional consequences” (for men it’s just one long holiday)
The web site for the Royal Commission is at http://www.rcfv.com.au
Update 1 June 2015: The closing date for submissions was Friday, 29 May 2015. A copy of my submission can be found here.
See also:
One woman a week dies at the hands of her partner or ex-partner. New ways of tackling domestic homicide (29 March 2015) Feminist perspective that ignores female perpetration, and which almost certainly sets the scene for the deliberations of the Royal Commission
Explainer: Victoria’s Royal Commission into Family Violence (27 February 2015)
Royal Commission into family violence terms of reference released (20 January 2015) Includes 90+ readers comments
Premier Daniel Andrews vows tough new laws to stop family violence (24 February 2015)
“As Scott Morrison prepared to step in as Social Services Minister, his new department was contacting housing advocacy groups and other community services providers on Monday to inform them their funding had been cut and contracts with the Commonwealth would be discontinued.
Social Services posted letters responding to requests for grants from the community sector for ongoing and new funding streams after a process first announced in March.
The government has previously warned it could satisfy just $800 million of the $3.9 billion in grants requested by the sector.” (Source)
Back in May 2014 around the time the federal budget was released, and when he wore a different hat, Scott Morrison was quoted as stating:
Immigration Minister Scott Morrison says he axed funding for a refugee organisation just two weeks after guaranteeing it in the budget because he believes taxes should not be propping up advocacy groups.
“It’s not my view, it’s not the Government’s view, that taxpayer funding should be there to support what is effectively an advocacy group,” Mr Morrison said.
“They’re entitled to be an advocacy group; they do very good work in the community and the Government will continue to support that organisation for contracted services.
“But in terms of administrative funding for an advocacy group, in a tough budget like this, frankly I just formed the view that taxpayer funds were not going to be spent on those types of activities.”
Many groups have been affected by these cuts, not just immigration advocacy groups such as the one referred to above. Not only Scott Morrison but other Ministers have, in justifying the cuts, been at pains to differentiate between those organisations who provide “advocacy” and those that provide “frontline services” to those in need.
As I ran my eyes over the list of groups for whom funding has been withdrawn, one curious thing stands out. No groups that cater predominantly to the welfare of women or girls appear on the list, not even those that are quite clearly advocacy groups who do not provide frontline support services.
Consider the example of ‘Our Watch’, a feminist group within the domestic violence sector, who seem to have emerged from the budget maelstrom unscathed. Indeed ‘Our Watch’ received $4,675,550 in government funding in 2013/14, whilst raising a paltry $6,083 in donations.
What’s more, that sum incorporated only a portion of total promised federal funding of $13.1 million. ‘Our Watch’ will also act as a middle-man (oops) and conduit for additional government funding for sporting groups that successfully compete for the feminist tick of approval. Why it was considered appropriate to delegate this role to an NGO defies logic.
Turning our attention now to those groups that were subject to cuts in government funding. Some of those groups appear to cater to a predominantly male clientele, and I’m thinking in particular of those providing services to the homeless.
Why is this so? Surely if we did in fact exist within a patriarchy then the opposite should be true? Or could it be that feminists/white knights are the ones that really wield the power in Canberra? Is taking an axe to any organisation that has the feminist lobby’s tick of approval now just too scary for our civic ‘leaders’ to contemplate?
See also:
Community sector funding cuts begin (23 December 2014)
Homelessness advocacy groups lose $21m in federal government funding (23 December 2014)
Disability advocates warn Government cuts to social services grants could affect NDIS rollout (24 December 2014)
ABC interview with Scott Morrison (24 December 2014)
Brandis ties NGO funding to non-advocacy (26 July 2014)
Elsewhere in this blog you might be interested in reading:
Partners in alms: A primer on the ‘Domestic Violence Industry’
Re-instatement of the Women’s Budget Statement in Australia? Bring it on, but consider men too
Australian taxpayer-funded organisations that do little/nothing for men (other than demonising them)
I was sitting in a small restaurant in a place called Chiang Dao the other day. At the next table were a group of four American women in their late 20’s or early 30’s. Western woman sitting alone is a common sight in Thailand, but sometimes – as on this occasion – they meet up for a coffee and chat.
Unfortunately I couldn’t but help to overhear their conversation. Were they talking about the beautiful natural environment all about them? No. Perhaps they were discussing the abundant cultural attractions? Nope. They were dissecting their experiences with guys they had met on their travels.
More specifically, they were discussing all the things that those guys had said or done or been, that rendered them unattractive as partners – or even as human beings. According to their toxic banter every one of those men was a loser. It was a bit like the girls described in this article, but ten years on.
With such an unpleasant demeanour, and competition from far more graceful and kindly locals (pictured below), I do hope those female tourists enjoy their solo journey … for the remainder of their holidays and beyond.
My next stop, just a kilometre or two down the road, was a famous Buddhist retreat where, thankfully, I managed to restore my sense of calm.
Now those women in the restaurant may or may not consider themselves to be feminists. I guess it is possible that they were merely ordinary folk who had been touched with the nasty stick.
Nevertheless on returning home that encounter got me thinking about whether anyone had written anything about feminism and Buddhism, and so I got busy with google and soon found a few references (below).
This blog post entitled Misandry and Mahayana (9 January 2011) is as good a starting point as any.
“I do not intend to be critical, but I simply do not understand how misandry and Mahayana are supposed to fit. Are you professing to adhere to a particular faith, and then immediately bending that faith to suit your neuroses? Are you taking refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha for the benefit of all sentient beings just so long as no men are involved? …
Misandry — contempt of men — together with misogyny — contempt of women — are nothing more than gender-specific expressions of misanthropy — hatred of human beings. Since this is the very opposite of Buddhism, why should we give any voice at all to such thinking? Why should we pay this any attention, or give it any ground? Isn’t this something we should try to overcome?”
See also:
Another post that touches on western women in Thailand is here
Some relevant discussion threads from reddit/r/buddhism (ongoing)
Dalai Lama’s ‘sexist’ quip ruffles equality activists (25 September 2015)
Women and gender politics in Buddhism (9 May 2009)
Supporting equality for women in Thai monasteries (22 December 2014)
Explorations in Buddhism and Feminism (8 March 2013)
Wikipedia entry for ‘Buddhist Feminism’
To be continued
