The Woman Tasked With Fixing Australia's Most Controversial Police Force
6/17/20261 hr 10 min
We don't often have politicians on True Crime Conversations. But when a domestic violence incident is reported to police every three minutes, the people making the laws and setting policy have a critical role to play.
NSW Police and Counter-Terrorism Minister Yasmin Catley joins Gemma Bath for a rare conversation about the state's response to domestic and family violence. From the results of Operation Emme Rock, which saw almost 1,000 high-risk offenders arrested in just four days, to the introduction of coercive control laws, Catley explains what's being done to prevent violence and protect victim-survivors.
The discussion also explores the warning signs that are too often missed, the challenges police face, and whether the justice system is doing enough to stop abuse before it escalates.
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CREDITS
Guest: Yasmin Catley, New South Wales Minister for Police and Counter-terrorism
Host: Gemma Bath
Senior Producer: Tahli Blackman
Group Executive Producer: Ilaria Brophy
Video Editor: Julian Rosario
Audio Designer: Tegan Salder
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsGemma Bath· Host0:00
[suspenseful music] He's an Australian-born man, non-Indigenous. He's aged between 30 and 34, and he's armed with a knife. [suspenseful music] What I've just described to you is your average type of domestic violence homicide offender in New South Wales. We know all of this because of a new interactive tool made by the state's Domestic Violence Death Review team. It's based on three decades' worth of data. I mean, the numbers are no surprise to most of us. We're losing a woman a week to a former or current partner in Australia. As New South Wales Police Minister Yasmin Catley admits, it's depressing, but she's trying. For three years she's been overseeing major changes to our laws and systems. In 2024, New South Wales criminalized coercive control. They made bail laws tougher and introduced stricter monitoring for those let out. They introduced a new app called Empower You so victims can discreetly document abuse and seek support. They've done blitz operations, mass-arresting offenders, but is it working? That's the big question. So, for the women living this reality, in fear, with abuse, with violent men, what's next? What do we actually do next?
Unknown speaker1:26
[gentle music]