June 10, 2013
Glenn Inquiry stumbling
A long time worker in domestic violence prevention says the collapse of the Owen Glenn Inquiry was inevitable.
Members and staff of the inquiry funded by businessman Sir Owen Glenn have been bailing out after the resignation of executive director Ruth Herbert.
Former Women’s Refuge Chief Executive Merepeka Raukawa-Tait says many of the people involved had no understanding of family violence and child abuse, and there was an airy fairy feel to the whole exercise – as well as a dose of ego.
"Sir Owen is absolutely appalled by the statistics for child abuse and domestic violence in this country and rightly so as we all are but what he is saying is nothing has been done to stem the tide and that is absolutely not true, particularly in recent years. Agencies are more prepared to share information, being far more proactive, everyone, communities, individuals and leaders are looking at what can we do that is different," she says.
Merepeka Raukawa-Tait says Sir Owen Glenn should have asked people in the field where best he could use his money and influence, rather than launching an inquiry that would tell people what they already know.
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