Source : Perth Now news
Women going on dates with people they’ve met online are routinely told to charge their phones, tell someone where they are and meet in busy public places.
But those precautions only go so far when the person sitting across from you has a violent history that has been hidden from you.
Sydney teacher Danielle Finlay-Jones did all of this – yet she was killed at the hands of her new partner on just their third date after meeting on Bumble.
Ashley Gaddie killed Ms Finlay-Jones at her friend’s house in Cranebrook in Sydney’s northwest in December 2022 after they had been out with friends at Christmas drinks, a coronial inquest found.
Ms Finlay-Jones had no reason to think the man she met online and took to meet her friends had a violent past as well as six AVOs taken out against him by five different women.
Her case is one of many that have sparked growing calls to ban domestic violence perpetrators and sex offenders from dating apps.
Nation-first trial
Now, one Australian state has listened and is set to trial a new nation-first plan that would ban offenders from online dating platforms for at least 10 years, with jail time as a penalty for breaches.
South Australian Deputy Premier and Attorney-General Kyam Maher said the plan would help protect the more than 200,000 South Australians who used online dating platforms and apps.
“These are people putting themselves out there in the hope of meeting someone special to share their lives with,” he told NewsWire.
“Unfortunately, these platforms can be open to abuse and exploitation, with offenders able to hide in plain sight.
“That’s why the SA Labor government is committed to implementing law reforms that would see dangerous predators – including domestic violence and child sex offenders – barred from accessing online dating platforms.”
The measure is about ensuring there are safeguards for those in the online dating space.
“We want to ensure users of these platforms can do so with confidence that they’re in a safe, supportive environment by keeping abusers and sex offenders away from that environment,” Mr Maher said.
“We are committed to working with the federal government and other states and territories to keep women safe in all aspects of their lives, including online, and to holding perpetrators to account.”
Safety tips only go so far
While online dating is a popular way of finding a romantic, sexual or social partner, it’s “important for people to be aware of the risks”, an eSafety spokesperson told NewsWire.
Among the tips, the spokesperson said to tell someone you trust where and who you are meeting, meet in a busy public place, charge your phone and to have an out.
They also suggested to do your “own checks” if you were going out with someone you’d just met online.
“Do a quick reverse image search of profile photos or search for their name across platforms to confirm they are who they say they are. If something feels off, it probably is,” they said.
The full list of safety tips can be found on the eSafety website.
But while safety tips remain important and can help prevent potential violence, advocates are calling for the onus to be taken off those who are simply seeking meaningful connection.
Leesa Scanlon, an advocate behind the South Australian government’s push, said dating apps should not be a revolving door for people with a proven history of sexual violence, domestic and family violence or child sex offences.
“Dating apps are a completely normal way for people to seek connection and relationships now,” she said.
“We should be able to use these platforms knowing that reasonable steps are being taken to keep us safe and to make it harder for people with serious convictions for violence and abuse to use them to access potential victims.
“These platforms provide access, and access matters when we’re talking about safety. I know from my own lived experience how easily someone can use dating apps to move from victim-survivor to victim-survivor.
“I absolutely believe there is a place for education and advice about how people can stay safe when using dating apps, but the responsibility cannot continually fall back on women to protect themselves from perpetrators.
“We also need to be asking what we can do to restrict the access of people who have already demonstrated these patterns of violence and abuse.”
Ms Scanlon said prevention wasn’t about finding “one perfect solution” but creating as many barriers as possible to make it harder for perpetrators to access potential victims and cause further harm.
“This reform is one of those barriers,” she said.
“It sits alongside education, early intervention, further legal reform, better reporting pathways and the many other pieces of work required if we genuinely want to prevent violence before it occurs.
“For me, this is ultimately about shifting some of the responsibility away from potential victims and back towards perpetrators, platforms and the systems around them.
“Seeking connection shouldn’t come at the cost of your safety.”
The issue remains part of a national conversation; however, the federal government has established a voluntary online dating services code, with signatories including Match Group, Bumble and ParshipMeet.
The code outlines voluntary commitments from participating dating platforms to strengthen user safety, including measures to detect and respond to abusive behaviour on their services.
The full code can be found on the Australia Online Dating Code of Conduct website.
NewsWire has contacted Bumble for further comment.
Domestic Violence helplines
