An online court database containing key details about rapists, criminals and murderers could help curb Australia’s growing problem of domestic violence, but is stuck behind an expensive paywall.
Domestic violence in Australia has been labeled a ‘national crisis’ by Anthony Albanese after 27 murders this year.
Twelve women died in alleged domestic violence in April alone, raising the national statistic from one death per week to one every four days.
On Sunday, the mother of Dannielle Finlay-Jones – a Sydney woman who was brutally murdered by her Bumble date Ashley Gaddie in 2022 – said her daughter would still be alive if her killer was not granted bail on violence against women charges.
Ms Finlay-Jones could not have known that Gaddie, 35, was halfway through a community corrections order for stalking and strangling another woman when they met, or that five women had violence orders pending against him.
Her family have called for police checks on dating apps to protect women from perpetrators.
But a simpler solution for the government might be to open up the court records database, which is only available to those who can pay $49.50 a month to access it.
Pictured: Dannielle Finlay-Jones who was murdered during her Bumble date in 2022
Her assaulted Ashley Gaddie (pictured) was on bail for assaulting a woman and five women fired AVOs at him. He committed suicide in prison in April
Court Data Australia is privately owned and allows users to search for an individual’s court appearances by name and state or territory.
While it often does not show whether a charge has been dropped or dismissed, it does indicate whether an individual has any warrants pending against him or her.
A search for Gaddie’s name turned up a total of 46 court hearings, including all five apprehended violence warrants from 2016.
But those who want to get the most out of the online service will have to cough up $16.50 for two hours, $49.50 for a month or $495 for an annual subscription.
Ms Finlay-Jones’ mother, Jacky, told 60 Minutes on Sunday that her family hoped justice would be served in court if Gaddie was found responsible for murder.
But the ruthless killer took his own life at the Clarence Correctional Center while awaiting trial.
The pair met on Bumble and had gone on two dates before December 2022 when they had a minor argument during a drinking game, and headed back to her friend’s house in Cranebrook.
When they had not turned up by 2pm the next day, the friend went into the bedroom and found Mrs Finlay-Jones’ dead, beaten body.
Pictured: A screenshot of Ashley Gaddie’s court entries in Court Data. He had five AVOs dating back to 2016
Gaddie was on the run for two days before finally clashing with police on a clifftop in the Blue Mountains for 12 hours. He was subsequently arrested and charged.
Jacky has called for stricter bail laws to ensure violent and repeat offenders like Gaddie are not released into the community, and for dating apps like Bumble to include police checks.
NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb said she had discussed the idea with her interstate counterparts, but said the idea could apply in any situation.
‘I don’t think it only applies to dating apps. It can occur in any circumstance where someone is concerned about the person they may be dating, or a family member may even be concerned,” she told the program.
After the twelve deaths in April, two more women were found dead in the first week of May.
One woman was a 78-year-old who was allegedly murdered by her own son. The other was a 30-year-old mother of four, who police said was attacked by her boyfriend before he set the house on fire.
Several of the men arrested and charged this year for the alleged murders of their intimate or ex-partners have appeared in court multiple times.
One man has 287 entries to his name.
Jacky Finlay-Jones (pictured) has said her daughter would still be alive if he was not granted bail on previous charges
Amanda Rishworth, the Minister for Social Services, described domestic violence in Australia on Monday as a “scourge that does not discriminate based on a person’s income or postcode” in a statement to Daily Mail Australia.
However, she did not comment on the idea of a domestic violence database.
“Family, domestic and sexual violence is a national crisis and has been for some time,” she said.
“This is an issue I have been working on every day since I became minister, and our national plan to end violence against women and children is the guiding framework for our investments in this area.
“Our government has invested and continues to invest in prevention, early intervention, response and healing and recovery, the four areas of the National Plan.”
Ms Rishworth also said that ‘too many women die at the hands of an intimate or former partner’ and live in fear.
“We will not be satisfied until women are safe and we no longer see women dying at the hands of men.”
Data released by the Australian Institute of Criminology in April shows deaths from domestic violence increased by about 30 per cent in 2022-2023, compared to the previous year.
The Albanian government plans to provide up to $5,000 in financial support to people fleeing violent relationships, along with access to referral services, risk assessments and safety planning.
$129 million will be used to intervene and support those at risk of becoming offenders.
Approximately $129 million will be used to intervene and support those at risk of becoming offenders.