That is the view of Mooroopna Education and Activity Centre general manager Jan Phillips, who is supporting renewed calls for Clare’s Law in Victoria.
Clare’s Law, a domestic violence disclosure scheme, allows people to ask police whether their partner has a known history of domestic violence.
The law first came about in the United Kingdom after the murder of Clare Wood, whose partner had a history of domestic abuse that had been unknown to her.
Ms Phillips said that a disclosure scheme could give people a way to identify potential risks before a relationship became dangerous.
“If you’re in a new relationship and feel that something isn’t quite right, this would give you a tool to look into them,” she said.
“It’s not a political issue. It’s just something that makes sense.”
The Victorian Opposition has promised to introduce a disclosure scheme within 100 days if elected, modelled on systems operating in the UK and South Australia.
“The scheme is to save lives,” Prevention of Family Violence Shadow Minister Cindy McLeish said.
“So that people, if they’re in dangerous situations, can escape.”
Between 2018 and 2024, South Australia’s scheme received 2581 applications, resulting in 1064 disclosure meetings, which means about 41 per cent of applications led to a disclosure.
While MEAC is not a family violence service, Ms Phillips said its community work meant it saw local impacts of domestic violence.
She said a disclosure scheme would not identify every perpetrator, but that she believed the potential benefits outweighed the limitations.
“Not everyone discloses, so there will be perpetrators who remain unknown,” she said.
“It’s not a blanket answer, but it could be enough to help many people.”
According to the Crime Statistics Agency, 2055 family violence incidents were reported in Greater Shepparton between March 2025 and March 2026.
VincentCare Victoria, which provides family violence services in Shepparton through Marian Community refuges, supported 504 new clients last year.
Hume community hub manager for VincentCare Victoria Marie Murfet said domestic and family violence had long-term effects on victim-survivors and their families.
“What these stats don’t reflect is the trauma experienced by victim survivors — and their real stories of bravery and resilience,” she said.
“It has profound and lasting effects on the health and wellbeing of those affected, including the risk of homelessness, anti-social behaviours and disengagement from education and work.”
The Victorian Government has not committed to introducing a domestic violence disclosure scheme.
A government spokesperson said Labor remained focused on reforms aimed at strengthening protections for victim-survivors and holding perpetrators accountable.
“Women deserve to be safe and free from abuse and violence — and when women are still dying at the hands of men, we must do more,” the spokesperson said.
“Labor will never put a price on keeping Victorians safe.”
The government said it would introduce legislation to criminalise coercive control, ban good character evidence and deliver further reforms to protect victim-survivors.
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