Improved Stalking Intervention Order System Proposed
Source: Victoria. Attorney General. Media Release
"The Brumby Government launched a public consultation on a proposed new system for stalking intervention orders which would provide better protection and more effective resolution for people involved in non-family interpersonal disputes. Deputy Premier and Attorney-General Rob Hulls said the rationale of stalking intervention orders had changed over time and had expanded from solely protecting victims of predatory stalking to protecting people involved in a wide range of interpersonal disputes, such as neighbourhood and fencing disputes.“Interpersonal disputes are frequently the subject of applications for stalking intervention orders, whereas they may be more effectively dealt with by mediation,” Mr Hulls said.“This discussion paper proposes a move towards Appropriate Dispute Resolution (ADR), in which a trained mediator would help people resolve disputes which would otherwise involve applications for stalking intervention orders.” Mr Hulls said the paper also proposed ‘fast-tracking’ matters that were not appropriate for mediation into the court system, and providing improved protections for victims of predatory stalking and one-off violent assaults from further trauma during the court process."