WA’s first coercive control centre to be established in Perth’s wealthy western suburbs

A first-of-its-kind support service for the victims of coercive control will be based in Perth’s wealthy western suburbs — where advocates say survivors often feel helpless at the hands of influential and well-respected perpetrators.

Coercive control involves persistent manipulative behaviour by a partner that can include controlling a person’s finances and independence and isolating them.

Family dispute mediator Dr Lisha van Reyk is the incoming president of Deserving Better WA, a non-profit that is looking for a location for a hub that would be the first in WA to focus on coercive control.

“We are not going to be turning away anyone who comes through, but we have a particular interest in coercive control,” she said.

Dr van Reyk said the non-profit wanted to establish the hub in the Curtin electorate where there was a “perception of wealth” in the electorate’s western suburbs and the perpetrators “seemed to be of good character”.

“The men are often in high profile, high corporate positions. There’s often generational power that can be used for coercive control,” she said.

“Victims are forced to keep up appearances. It’s very difficult for them to leave that family situation where children are often used as pawns.”

Dr van Reyk said these women could be hesitant to leave their well-financed abusers who could afford to engage in lengthy litigation.

And if they did choose to seek help, because of their “wealth on paper” they frequently found themselves ineligible for support, Dr van Reyk said.

“For access to services such as Legal Aid, you have to fit a certain criteria. In these coercive control situations, funds are distributed to the woman on paper, but they don’t actually access it,” she said.

Dr van Reyk said the hub would support victims to gain financial independence, education, counselling and, when the woman did not wish to leave and the perpetrator was willing to change their behaviour, would work with both partners to make the home a safer environment.

The State Government is considering making coercive control a specific crime — similar to in NSW and Queensland — but has taken a “phased approach,” by first allowing women to cite coercive control when applying for a restraining order before pursuing outright criminalisation.

The first phase also includes coercive control training for police and others in the justice system, as well as an education campaign.

Dr van Reyk said Deserving Better wanted to see coercive control criminalised but that “support systems” needed to be in place to keep women and children safe, because the practice was hard to prove and pursuing a complaint could be dangerous for victims.

“It is a criminal family violence act from our point of view,” she said.

“While the Government is making a lot of noise, there is concern about whether that actually translates to assistance for individuals being coerced.”

Dr van Reyk said the team of advocates and counsellors at Deserving Better — which includes educators, nurses and a former member of the Prisoners Review Board — had observed an “alarming” increase in family violence involving coercive control since the pandemic.

“We have each tried to work with existing services, but a lot of those services are not only stretched very thin, but they are also reactive services,” she said. “We want to take proactive steps.

“There are a lot of services where, if the violence is visible — such as if you present to a hospital ED with a broken bone or bruises — then there is a system in place to assist you.

“But when it’s hidden, as coercive control is, there isn’t that support.”

According to Counting Dead Women Australia, 63 women were murdered across the country last year. This included a string of high-profile alleged DV murders in WA such as the death of Alice McShera in October in Crown Towers. Her partner, Cameron Pearson, has been charged with her murder.

Dr van Reyk said tackling coercive control was critical as an “early intervention” because when it escalated to physical violence, it frequently “results in death” for the woman.

Dependent on securing funding and a location, Deserving Better hopes to open this year.

The project has the support of Curtin MP Kate Chaney who said it would make a “huge difference”.

“The evidence suggests family violence is better hidden in affluent areas, partly because abusers can use financial means to prevent their victims from leaving,” Ms Chaney said.

A State Government spokesman said domestic violence in all its forms was unacceptable and the Government welcomed community-based organisations that supported and advocated for victim-survivors.

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