A damning review into domestic and family violence deaths in the Australian Capital Territory has exposed catastrophic systemic failures, revealing that victims were repeatedly misidentified as perpetrators by authorities before they died. The report, tabled in the ACT Legislative Assembly, details how this misidentification led to criminal charges, incarceration, and the traumatic removal of children from victims, compounding their vulnerability.
Victims Wrongly Labelled as Aggressors
The ACT Domestic and Family Violence Review examined 38 deaths occurring between 2020 and 2024, involving 13 victims and 25 abusers. Alarmingly, eight of the 13 victims were incorrectly identified as perpetrators by police and other agencies prior to their deaths. In two cases, this misidentification happened within just three months of the victim dying.
Shockingly, one victim was charged after a perpetrator broke into her home and attacked her. Another was labelled an aggressor by police despite documented evidence showing the other party had a history of perpetrating violence. The review found that in multiple instances, women were misidentified as perpetrators specifically when they attempted to protect children from violence.
Systemic Misunderstanding and Consequences
The report states that misidentification typically occurred when authorities responded to isolated incidents without understanding the broader patterns of coercive control and family violence. Police often failed to recognise when victims were acting in self-defence or when perpetrators were manipulating systems.
"This can lead to intervention orders, criminal charges, and further legal consequences, often triggering misidentification across other systems such as child protection, immigration, and housing," the review emphasised. These experiences make future help-seeking less likely and contribute to severe mental health outcomes, substance use issues, and profound impacts on a victim's self-worth.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women were highlighted as being particularly vulnerable to this misidentification and its ongoing consequences. Victims can be further disadvantaged when they do not conform to stereotypical passive behaviours and instead try to defend themselves or their children.
The Hidden Toll on Children
Minister for the Prevention of Family and Domestic Violence Marisa Paterson described the report as "deeply sobering and deeply confronting." A key theme was the profound impact on children, with the report identifying 67 children—from 11 months to 17 years old—as being directly impacted by the violence examined.
Children must be recognised as victims in their own right, with responses prioritising their safety, Dr Paterson stressed. The review found evidence of physical and emotional violence against children in most homes, with neglect present in eight cases. Several children discovered the body of a deceased parent, and many experienced significant violence, including sexual abuse.
Perpetrator Suicide as Control Tactic
Of the 25 perpetrator deaths analysed, 21 abusers died by suicide. In 13 cases, the abuser escalated violence before dying. The review noted that factors leading to suicide were similar to those leading to homicide. In eight cases, perpetrators were facing serious imminent consequences for their abuse, such as criminal charges or family law proceedings.
The report referenced a Queensland review suggesting that suicide may be a form of "image management," where perpetrators intend to control the narrative surrounding their behaviours and avoid accountability. Threats of suicide are frequently used as a form of coercive control, reinforcing the perpetrator's power over the victim.
Patterns of Coercive Control
Coercive control—a pattern of controlling and manipulative behaviours—was present in almost every case examined. This aligns with a previous review of ACT family violence murders from 2000 to 2022, which also found coercive control in nearly every instance.
The report also revealed that more than half of the perpetrators had criminal records indicating violence outside a domestic context. There was strong evidence that many victims had been abused by multiple people, and most perpetrators had several victims.
The findings underscore an urgent need for systemic reform in how authorities identify and respond to domestic and family violence, particularly in recognising coercive control patterns and protecting the most vulnerable.
