The premier of Queensland has been warned not to recognise male victims of domestic violence at the expense of women after she said she had changed her language to include male victims.

Annastacia Palaszczuk, who has committed to ending domestic violence, told a community cabinet event violence against men is something that needs to be addressed more.

“I do understand that there are a number of men have gone through or are going through [domestic violence],” she said on Sunday, according to Fairfax Media.

“I actually did change my language when it did become public because it was brought to my attention that there was some serious issues surrounding some men in our community needing help as well.

“I do think that is something we do need to address a bit more.”



Palaszczuk was responding to a question from a man who said he had been the victim of domestic violence.

Karyn Walsh, the CEO of Micah Projects which runs the Brisbane Domestic Violence Service, said there was no problem in acknowledging male victims of violence, as long as the issue of domestic violence was approached as a gendered one.

“It’s important to acknowledge any human being that experiences violence but we need to make sure our response to domestic violence maintains a gendered focus,” she said.

“We have to be allowed to talk about that this is a gendered issue and acknowledge that men may be victims but not lose [sight of the fact] that the overwhelming issue is the attitude men have to women as their possessions, as something they can control and punish. It is about their attitude.”

Walsh said it was important the issue was approached as a gendered one so resources and programs could be properly allocated.

“The severity and extent and volume of women experiencing violence needs to always be maintained [as fact], no problem acknowledging that men may be victims but in overall scheme of things it is women who are impacted.”

Walsh said in many cases of violence against men in a relationship by a woman, the woman was acting in self defence.

Walsh said she was confident after the report into domestic violence by Quentin Bryce, Palaszczuk would not be recognising male victims at the expense of women.

Moo Baulch, CEO of Domestic Violence NSW, said male victims of domestic violence needed to be recognised in the context that the overwhelming number of victims were women and the overwhelming number of perpetrators were men.

“I can kind of understand where she’s coming from, in LGBTQI relationships gay men experience domestic violence at really similar rates,” she said.

“I think there’s a really strong men’s rights lobby in this area and I certainly know we get substantial attacks through media and social media, there’s a really strong lobby that would like us to believe women and men experience domestic violence at equal rates and we just know that that’s not true.”

Baulch said there was a resistance to recognising the gendered nature of domestic violence as it becomes less taboo to talk about.

“It challenges people’s perceptions of Australia and our idea of everyone having a fair go, we know that that’s just not the case, look at other things such as women on boards, pay gap, it’s clear we’re not living in a society that equally values men and women,” she said.