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Lawyer calls to broaden DV leave
A Gold Coast lawyer has urged for the legal profession to take a stronger stance on the broadening of domestic violence leave policies, saying more can be done to help those in need.
Emma Musgrave
Pullos Lawyers family law specialist Cassandra Pullos said moves to broaden the provision of domestic violence leave in Queensland for public sector workers are welcome, but “do not go far enough”.
Ms Pullos' comments come after a move made recently by Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, which called for paid domestic violence leave to become a national employment standard.
Ms Pullos said the move was applauded but “we could do a lot more”. She noted several Australian law firms are now offering domestic violence leave to staff but it was on an “ad hoc basis with no formal, profession-wide policy”.
“We support this call for domestic violence leave to be available across the board to everyone affected by it as one of the ways in which the business community can recognise the toll domestic and family violence can take on employees,” Ms Pullos said.
Ms Pullos said the legal profession should take a prominent role in advocating change to protect DV victims and advocate tougher penalties for those who commit domestic violence.
“One of the key messages we need to convey in 2017 is to push for change on the understanding that domestic violence leave is not, and should not be, just seen as a holiday,” she said.
“Domestic violence is so widespread and ingrained, it needs a whole of government and community approach to eradicate it. Up until now, various groups and agencies have been working almost independently and in isolation on DV solutions.
“The current splintered approach needs to refocus around a robust policy to protect and help victims, and deter and appropriately punish domestic violence offenders.”
Emma Musgrave
Emma Musgrave (née Ryan) is the managing editor, professional services at Momentum Media.
Emma has worked for Momentum Media since 2015, including five years spent as the editor of the company's legal brand - Lawyers Weekly. Throughout her time at Momentum, she has been responsible for breaking some of the biggest stories in corporate Australia. In addition, she has produced exclusive multimedia and event content related to the company's respective brands and audiences.
Prior to joining Momentum Media, Emma worked in breakfast radio, delivering news to the Central West region of NSW, before taking on a radio journalist role at Southern Cross Austereo, based in Townsville, North Queensland.
She holds a Bachelor of Communications (Journalism) degree from Charles Sturt University.
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