We are skirting around the issues in our attempts to reduce and control incidences of domestic violence in Australia.

Relationships are the core unit of our society.

It is a necessity that our citizens are given the right education about what is reasonable, acceptable and required in our communication efforts and behaviour, when we engage in relationships, even in casual conversations and interactions with staff, authority figures and all public figures, in our community.

It has become clearer over the last few years that initiatives like these, which, could be mandated in a Relationships Law are immediately provided;

1. Educating the entire community about what is acceptable & what is not acceptable behaviour towards others. In the form of; compulsory free education seminars in all sectors of the community, and for all age groups.
2. Creating a communication skills subject and relationship skills subject for all school children to complete, during each year of their schooling, culminating with "starting a company"; school project, and managing teams/ managing meetings skills training in the final year of the subject.
3. Providing social world planning and friendships training programs to children, within schools and the community. Increasing our overall skills at creating social networks and thereby reducing social isolation would benefit all ages.
4. Creating and formalising interpersonal relationship, behavioural guidelines. Establishing a legal interpretation to help protect all.
5. Legally requiring Churches to provide marriage mentorship programs, and marriage counselling, to couples, from their Church congregations.
6. Legally requiring couples to complete a pre-marriage guidance course, and have a happily married couple to mentor their marriage, prior to the confirmation of their engagement.
7. Provide marriage and relationship coaches en mass in the community, including free marriage and relationship coaches, including healthy relationship ending coaches, and all relationship related coaching programs, easily accessible to all.
8. Ensure parties to any legal matter before a Court, complete dispute resolution mediation or dispute arbitration each year, during their Court proceedings, to provide a potential opportunity for reconciliation, and ways to reasonably end the dispute.
9. Ensure all persons party to a restraining order, family law court parenting order, or a domestic abuse protection order, complete personal counselling and are connected with a support person, or support group.
10. Ensure all persons with drug or alcohol abuse problems are connected to drug & alcohol addiction support organisations or rehabilitation programs, as well as support persons and advocates.
11. Ensure couples who have nominated they are experiencing, or have experienced, significant abuse issues within their relationship, are provided counselling support and relationship coaching.
12. Create community events that encourage and display respectful behaviour in relationships, such as galmorous balls, galas and festivals.
13. Hold community grieving days and memorial events for past incidences of violence that resulted in loss of life.
     

Our standards of communication in relationships, are not clearly established and not provided through the schooling system. Anywhere. The inconsistencies are evident by the incidences of domestic violence occuring every day, where people clash, because they have employed poor communication skills, misunderstood their role, or expectations on them, or crumbled under pressure and stress.

Not only could a Relationships Law help to prevent domestic violence in partnership relationships, it could reduce the amount and impact of drug & alcohol abuse by our citizens. Addictions that, without efforts to improve effected persons communication skills, could result in loss of life and ruin families for generations.

Lets consider the need and concept more seriously through a Federal Government Enquiry. Not just a Relationships Australia annual survey completed by a random sample of a few hundred people.

How could a Relationships Law assist Australians who experience complex trauma and generational trauma, in Australia. Recognising the legal communication requirements for providing support to trauma impacted individuals in all settings, as well as providing them their human and legal rights, could assist in reducing loss of life. Persons with complex trauma and generational trauma could be provided support and rehabilitation services under this legislation, which would reduce suffering and problems.

Here is an outline of the development of a Relationships Law, that could , protect our children and save the current generation of Australians, with all of our cultural diversity and unique communities.

A Relationships Law in Australia, could be structured: 

**1. Definitions and Scope:**
   - Define "relationships" broadly to encompass every level of personal, professional, familial, and any other types of relationships, stated by behaviours, gestures, processes and events.

   - Specify that these definitions apply uniformly across all states and territories. Include cultural variations within these definitions.

    - Outline the Scope of the legislation ; to provide a standard and guide to civil and acceptable conduct in behaviour when relating with others, including all behaviours, gestures, language, legal requirements, penalties and liabilities.

**2. Legal, Moral, Ethical, and Human Rights Factors:**
   - Incorporate legal, moral, ethical, and human rights considerations into the definitions of relationships to ensure respect, fairness, and protection of rights for all parties involved, regardless of their cultural background. 

**3. Establishment of a Commonwealth Body:**
   - Create a dedicated Commonwealth body responsible for administering the Law, providing nation wide education programs and events, creating school subjects and events, and all other education activity for information about the Relationships Law, as well as providing a service for adjudicating claims, disputes, penalties, and damages under this law, where claims are made.

**4. Recognize Relationship Types and Responsibilities:** 

**Familial Relationships:**
   - Define legal responsibilities and liabilities, for various familial relationships including parent/child, siblings, cousins, aunt/niece or nephew, uncle/niece or nephew, grandparents/grandchildren, and extended family members.
   - Specify obligations such as financial support, caregiving duties, life guidance education requirements, and decision-making responsibilities.
- Specify precise communication protocols and requirements, as well as informal and legal methods of resolving disputes. 

**Friendship and Acquaintanceship:**
   - Create a precise and legal definition of all levels of friendship, as well  legal expectations on behavior and responsibilities in friendships and acquaintances, as well as in the event of ending these relationships, creating a legal and defined point of closure, emphasizing mutual respect, and ethical behaviour.
- Specify precise communication protocols and requirements, as well as informal and legal methods of resolving disputes. 

**Dating Relationships:**
   - Establish guidelines for dating relationships, detailing what is and what is not acceptable and required timelines for dating relationships, as well as ending dating relationships, that are not living together, ensuring respect and accountability between parties, fair ethical and respectful behaviour and communication.

- Specify precise communication protocols and requirements, as well as informal and legal methods of resolving disputes. 

**Marital and De Facto Relationships:**
   - Create a precise definition of de facto and marriage relationships, as well as legal processes and requirements for entering into such relationships. Define behaviour and communication standards.

Outline responsibilities of spouses and de facto partners before, during, and after their relationship, covering communication requirements and relationship assistance requirements (seeking mentoring or counselling), as well as timelines for legally abandoning a broken marriage, after marriage counselling and mentoring has failed.
- Specify precise communication protocols and requirements, as well as long term liabilities, and informal and legal methods of resolving disputes. 

**Professional Relationships:**
   - Specify definitions of all professional relationships and how these are established, including duties and liabilities of these professional relationships. Include employer/employee, contracting staff/ employers, volunteers/ employers, business partners, corporations, service provider/client, and caregiver/caree relationships. Define how and when these these relationships end.
- Specify precise communication protocols and requirements, as well as informal and legal methods of resolving disputes. 

**Cultural Groups**
- Specify the precise communication protocols and requirements and standards for every cultural group, including how to demonstrate respectful behaviour, address disputes, resolve disputes and specific communication protocols when working together with other cultural groups. 

**5. Ongoing Legal Responsibilities and Liability:**
   - Clarify ongoing legal responsibilities and liabilities including obligations towards children, partners, animals in one's care, personal behavior, clients of medical services, customers, including adherence to laws, and reporting of crimes or witnessing of abuse, and the immediate first responses required for medical emergencies and mental health crises, by every citizen.

**6. Effects and Changes in Relationships:**
   - Acknowledge the impact of relationships on individuals’ well-being, life enjoyment, identity, health, housing, finances, community standing, social connections, and employment prospects.
   - Recognize that changes in relationships are natural and should be managed through clear, lawful, and mutually understood processes, with education and supports on these matters provided under this legislation as a human right.
- Specify precise communication protocols and requirements, as well as informal and legal methods of resolving disputes. 

**7. Offences under the Law:**
   - Define relationship offenses including deception, malicious deception, conspiracy, conspiracy to torture, coercion, failure to take reasonable steps to prevent harm, failure to communicate intentions, refusal to communicate, negligence in duties within the relationship or failure to provide minimum standard of care.
- Specify precise communication protocols and requirements, as well as informal and legal methods of resolving offences without proceeding with prosecution.

- Specify ways claimants can be supported after making claims.

**8. Responsibilities in Relationships:**
   - Establish principles of civil and reasonable conduct suitable for different types of relationships, ensuring behaviors are appropriate and respectful of the relationship dynamics.
   - Define family systems, structures, hierarchy, methods, and liabilities to guide, functioning and responsibilities within familial relationships.
- Specify precise communication protocols and requirements, as well as informal and legal methods of resolving disputes. 

**9. Communication Protocols and Templates:**
   - Develop communication protocols defining the nature, status, requirements, expectations and formations of a connection, within each type of relationship.
   - Provide templates for effective communication tailored to different relationship contexts (e.g., friendship, professional, familial, dating, marriage), promoting clarity and respect in interactions.
    - Provide curriculum recommendations for educating about communication standards in schools. With subjects for every year of schooling to support better communication skills, assertiveness, respectful behaviour and excellent communication in relationships.
- Provide communication templates and protocols and requirements, as well as informal and legal methods when resolving disputes. 

**10. Enforcement, Amendments, and Oversight:**
   - Outline enforcement mechanisms, negotiation requirements, time constraints, penalties for non-compliance, and procedures for amending the law to reflect societal changes and legal precedents.
   - Ensure oversight by the Commonwealth body to monitor implementation and effectiveness, addressing inconsistencies or emerging issues promptly. 

**11. Education and Awareness:**
   - Promote public education on rights, responsibilities, liabilities and legal protections within relationships, fostering understanding and compliance across communities. 

By incorporating these elements, the Relationships Law aims to provide a comprehensive framework that safeguards rights, promotes responsible behavior, and resolves disputes effectively across all types of relationships in Australia.

The vision of this kind of law is to protect our community from being misled and to prepare our future adults with the skills they need to have successful relationships in every area of their life and be free from all kinds of misunderstandings and abuse.

Domestic Violence, abuse within any relationship, is not an anomaly, it occurs when there is a failure or breakdown in communication between the parties. For whatever reason.

This kind of law would protect women from homelessness after marriage breakdown, for example. Retaining a legal liability for housing after the end of a partnership relationship, where children were included. In a marriage breakdown where children are included, neither parent should be left homeless.

This law would protect women from being labelled in our community, resulting in loss of friendships, loss of reputation, loss of employment prospects.

This law would educate our young people and help create successful marriages and families as the core unit of our community.

This law would help people make civil claims against abusers, where there was an established legal liability that they should have been provided care.

What do you think??