Sunshine Magistrates Court had the second-highest number of family violence cases requiring an interpreter in 2013-14.
In a submission to the Royal Commission on Family Violence, the Victorian Multicultural Commission (VMC) said the availability and use of interpreters remained a “significant issue” in intervention order proceedings.
In some cases, women shared an interpreter with their perpetrator, which undermined the process, the VMC noted. “Difficulties can arise when interpreters are not well trained in legal or family violence matters and are unable to interpret accurately,” it submitted.
“In some cases, women were forced to share the services of an interpreter with the respondent, undermining her ability to trust the interpreter.”
In 2013-14, Dandenong Magistrates Court had 372 cases needing an interpreter, followed by Sunshine (317), Heidelberg (209) and Melbourne (200) magistrates courts. “Greater Dandenong and Brimbank reflect greater disadvantage and have a higher proportion and number of Victorians born overseas,” the VMC found.
The Legal Aid Victoria submission noted its Sunshine duty lawyers were experiencing “significant demand”.
Sunshine also had the highest demand for interpreters of a specific nationality, with 132 cases requiring a Vietnamese interpreter, while 61 cases at Broadmeadows needed Arabic.
