That ends our live coverage

That wraps our live coverage of the public release of the findings from South Australia's Royal Commission into Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence.

ABC News coverage will continue throughout the afternoon, and in the coming days and weeks.

Here are some of the key things to come out of today's announcement:

  • The SA government has committed to implementing seven of the royal commission's 136 recommendations.
  • Premier Peter Malinauskas says the government will "dutifully consider and examine" the remaining 129 recommendations before making decisions about further responses.
  • Commissioner Natasha Stott Despoja described her report - and the response to it - as "not a tick-and-flick exercise" but as an opportunity for "getting it right".
  • She offered this challenge: "It's time now for our state to act with courage and lead with courage."
Recommendations for implementation

The press conference has concluded, but here are the seven recommendations the government has committed to implementing:

  • Recommendation 1: "The South Australian government create a standalone ministerial portfolio for domestic, family and sexual violence."

  • Recommendation 2: "The South Australian government establish and resource a stewardship function within government." The recommendation goes onto set out the responsibilities for a Government Steward's office, including leading "the commissioning or recommissioning of state government–funded services within the domestic, family and sexual violence sector".

  • Recommendation 4: "The Senior Leadership Committee develop an Implementation Plan for the phased implementation of the Commission's recommendations, for consideration by Cabinet." It goes on to set out how that should occur.

  • Recommendation 9: "The South Australian government embed domestic, family and sexual violence as a sixth whole-of-government priority in the Chief Executive Performance Agreement template and require each chief executive’s performance agreement to include achievement of the actions and impact identified in the Implementation Plan."

  • Recommendation 10: "The South Australian government develop a 5-year statewide domestic, family and sexual violence strategy that includes the 4 pillars of prevention, early intervention, response, and recovery and healing, following delivery of the Implementation and Impact Monitor’s first annual report to Parliament.  The South Australian government resource and support the development of a standalone 5-year Aboriginal domestic, family and sexual violence strategy."

  • Recommendation 11: "The South Australian government establish 2 domestic, family and sexual violence Lived Experience Advisory Networks (one for adults and one for children and young people) to provide advice and expertise to the South Australian government." The recommendation provides criteria around how that should occur.

  • Recommendation 12: "The South Australian government appoint a Lived Experience Advisory Group (or Groups) from the membership of the Lived Experience Advisory Networks to provide advice and expertise to the Minister for Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence."

'Rapid review of expenditure'

The commissioner has been asked about the first recommendation, which urges "the South Australian government create a standalone ministerial portfolio for domestic, family and sexual violence". 

Ms Stott Despoja says the portfolio at the moment is combined with the minister for women portfolio, and she believes they need to be separated.

She has also been asked about how much funding she thinks is appropriate for implementing reforms, but responded by saying it was not for her to say, and that she can't put a figure on it.

"But what I am actually quite heartened by are the recommendations that the government has accepted today including something that was necessary and that is some rapid review of expenditure in this space," she said.

"It was really difficult to determine state-based funding for this sector. Most of the funding came from national agreements.

"They need to ascertain what's being spent now and then it'll be clear about what requires significant uplift."

Workforce 'a big challenge'

The premier has been asked how he can guarantee this royal commission won't go the same way as others in which recommendations haven't been implemented.

Mr Malinauskas says, as with any royal commission report, there's no guarantee the recommendations will be implemented.

But he says, where recommendations are accepted, there must be a plan to deliver them.

The premier has also been asked about the recommendations around workforce, and how SA will find workers for the sector. 

He says workforce is "a big challenge" for which there is not a current solution.

He has also acknowledged that jobs in the domestic violence sector are not always highly paid.

How much will the government invest?

Following the opening remarks by the commissioner, the premier and the minister, they are now answering questions about the report.

The first question for the premier was about how much the government will invest to secure reform: "What does a 'significant amount of money' mean?"

Mr Malinauskas responded by saying there was already a provision within the budget, and that "we anticipated there would be costs".

But he won't say how much money has been allocated because that number "won't dictate the policy response".

He says some changes won't be expensive to implement but others - for example, accommodation reform - will need funding.

Asked about the billions devoted by Victoria to implementing the recommendations of its own royal commission, Mr Malinauskas rejected strict comparisons, saying Victoria was a much bigger state and not an "apples for apples comparison".

But he says he's confident SA will devote sufficient funding.

"We're prepared to spend what is required to make a difference."

'Generational opportunity for change'

Minister for Women and the Prevention of Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Katrine Hildyard spoke of the courage of survivors, and spoke of the four women who died in the space of a week in November 2023.

She says it was a heartbreaking week that demanded action.

"We embrace this generational opportunity for change," she said.

She says the government will now consider the unadopted 129 recommendations with safety and recovery in mind, and while listening to survivors.

"We have listened and we will now act," she said.

'Act with courage and lead with courage'

The full royal commission report is called "With courage: South Australia's vision beyond violence", and Ms Stott Despoja explained the reason:

"It's time now for our state to act with courage and lead with courage," she said.

"And I have every confidence that we will."

In her foreword to the report, she made the following observations about the need for lasting change:

"We remain the only state without a dedicated, whole-of-government strategy to prevent and respond to domestic, family and sexual violence. That must change. South Australia needs a statewide strategy with prevention at its core.

"We recognise that some communities are severely underserved. There is a glaring lack of culturally safe and Aboriginal-led services. Services for LGBTQIA+ people, people with disability, culturally and linguistically diverse communities, men who are victim-survivors and men who use violence are chronically underdeveloped or missing entirely. Services for children who have experienced domestic, family and sexual violence are almost non-existent."

'Not a tick-and-flick exercise'

Natasha Stott Despoja says the prevalence of domestic, family and sexual violence among young Aboriginal people is "a statewide shame".

One in every seven has experienced such violence, she says.

Aboriginal people are one of the groups she says who are severely underserviced in terms of the support available. Services are chronically underfunded, she says.

Ms Stott Despoja says she understands some recommendations will take time to implement, but says the commission will be monitoring progress.

"This is not a tick-and-flick exercise ... it's about getting it right," the commissioner said.

'Lift our eyes a little bit'

The premier has urged the community as a whole to "lift our eyes a little bit".

"Domestic violence often happens behind closed doors ... but that doesn't change the fact that it could be a family member who's a victim, a neighbour who's a perpetrator," he said.

"We should be alive to that."

He says, if the state wants to stop domestic violence from being as prevalent as it is, the responsibility is with each and every person - particularly men - to ensure progress.

Commissioner praises those who spoke out

Natasha Stott Despoja says the commission has grounded its work in the voices of South Australians. 

More than 5,000 members of the SA community shared their experiences, and the commission received more than 380 submissions.

"My greatest thanks to those South Australians," she said.