A LAUNCESTON man wants to abolish the 2004 Tasmanian Family Violence Act.

05 Apr, 2010

Ray Escobar, of Youngtown, has set up a group called Juries Against Illegal Laws, asking people to join a class action for compensation for those wrongly accused under the act.

Mr Escobar said that since the Family Violence Act was introduced, many men had been victims of women making false applications to police.

As a result, he said, men's rights were denied and they endured unjust family court decisions.

"I lost my house, my family and my chattels," he said.

"I had two choices - I could sit down and take it or I could rally against it."

He said his group stood for men and women but under the powers of the act, police too often assumed men were the perpetrators in domestic violence cases.

"I started researching and found there were many others in Tasmania who were losing everything based on perjury," he said.

"The Family Violence Act breaches human rights."

Mr Escobar said about 200 people had joined the class action since he started the group 12 months ago and they were seeking a $200 million settlement.

The first hearing for the class action will be held at the Federal Court in Hobart on April 12 at 10am.

He said unfounded allegations were responsible for men losing everything and this class action was a stand against injustice.

"Police should have no judicial powers at all - they should not be the investigator, judge, jury and executioner," he said.

"If you are served a police family violence order, you will never have a day in court to defend yourself.

"Once the order is in against you, it's like a bulldog biting down on your neck - they have got you."

Courts should decide who was served family violence orders, not police, he said.

http://www.examiner.com.au/news/local/news/human-interest/violence-act-called-unjust39/1793876.aspx

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