In this country, one in four women has experienced violence from an intimate partner. On average, one woman is killed every week and only the most shocking capture the headlines. Most never report the crimes to the police. This scourge demands urgent attention. 

In her acclaimed first book, See What You Made Me Do, award-winning journalist, Jess Hill investigates the reasons people are reluctant or unable to leave their abusive partners, focusing particularly on the power of coercive control and shame to lock in a cycle of abuse, violence and grief, and the urgent need for more to be done to stop Australia’s epidemic of violence and control. 

Australian governments are now considering legislation to make coercive control a criminal offence, as it is in other countries, in an attempt to stem this crisis. SBS has adapted Jess’s book into a three-part series examining how this might be done and the shocking consequences that await should we fail to address this deep cultural rot, which has left too many people feeling unsafe in their own home. 

A compelling and passionate advocate, Jess’s years reporting exclusively on domestic violence in Australia make her an ideal person to discuss this highly sensitive — but utterly vital — topic. Hosted by veteran journalist Kerry O’Brien, the latest instalment of Griffith University’s conversation series, A Better Future for All, will canvass the issues at stake, what needs to be done and the obstacles to making home a safer place for everyone. 

Jess Hill 

Jess Hill is a Walkley Award-winning investigative journalist who has reported exclusively on domestic abuse since 2014. Prior to this, she was a Middle East correspondent, and worked as both a producer and reporter for various programs across the ABC, including AM, PM, The World Today, and Background Briefing. In 2019, she published her first book, See What You Made Me Do, about the phenomenon of domestic abuse in Australia. It was awarded the 2020 Stella Prize, and has been shortlisted for several others, including the Walkley Book Award and the Prime Minister’s Literary Award. In 2021, SBS will broadcast a three-part adaptation of her book, and she is producing an audio documentary series with the Victorian Women’s Trust.