On behalf of Monash University and Jesuit Social Services
The NSW State Coroner’s Inquest findings into the killing of Lilie James, 21, and the death of Paul Thijssen, 24, released today, find that Lilie was killed in the context of domestic violence. The findings identify important opportunities for prevention and early intervention efforts to address coercive control and improve safety among young Australians.
“The recommendations made by the State Coroner identify tangible actions that governments can take now to better prevent coercive control, including technology facilitated abuse and stalking, by young men,” said Monash University’s Professor Kate Fitz-Gibbon and Jesuit Social Services’ Executive Director of The Men’s Project Matt Tyler, two of Australia’s leading experts in the prevention of men’s violence.
Specific actions identified by the Inquest include addressing technology facilitated abuse, improving the capacity of young people to act as bystanders, ensuring risk of stalking is recognised, and enhancing education efforts with young men.
Professor Fitz-Gibbon, who was an expert witness during the three-day public hearings of the Coronial Inquest, says, “Too often, findings from Coronial Inquests sit on the shelf and are not acted upon. In the midst of a national crisis of men’s violence against women and children, these recommendations should be progressed with urgency and supported with appropriate funding.”
The Inquest points to the need to expand services so that young men can identify problematic behaviours in themselves and receive support. Mr Tyler, who has led significant early intervention, research and policy efforts to prevent men’s violence, said, “Given the prevalence of men’s violence, more must be done to hold these behaviours to account while also intervening earlier by promoting and better responding to efforts to seek help.”
The Coronial Findings intersect with several of the key issues raised in the findings from Jesuit Social Services’ Adolescent Man Box report, released earlier this month.
The Australian-first survey of over 1,400 adolescents of all genders aged 14 to 18 found that young Australians overwhelmingly believe there is pressure on boys to appear confident and tough at all times and to never back down from a challenge.
Mr Tyler said the Inquest showed that Mr Thijssen’s actions aligned with some of the concerning findings from the Adolescent Man Box research.
“Of those adolescent boys who most strongly endorse the Adolescent Man Box rules, 35 per cent agreed that if a teenage boy has a girlfriend, he should know where she is all the time, and equally 35 per cent agreed that they usually try to get back at someone if they are rejected,” he said.
Mr Tyler said the closing remarks from Lilie’s mum Peta – repeated in the Inquest findings – must be attended to if we are to make progress in preventing men’s violence. Peta said, “As parents, if we are not teaching our sons how to respect a woman’s opinions and choices and accept rejection, we could be setting our daughters up for failure.”
The Adolescent Man Box report builds on Jesuit Social Services’ Man Box 2024 research, completed in partnership with Respect Victoria, which found that over 20 per cent of 18 – 30 year old men believe if a guy has a girlfriend or wife, he deserves to know where she is all the time.
In her expert report to the State Coroner, Professor Fitz-Gibbon noted that in the lead up to Lilie’s killing, their friendship group mistook Thijssen’s repeated monitoring of her location as a sign of affection. The Inquest findings identify the need for greater education to ensure young Australians understand the dynamic risks associated with such behaviours.
“The Coroner has made critical recommendations to address technology facilitated abuse including normalisation of location sharing among young Australians through greater education, awareness raising and bystander intervention initiatives,” Professor Fitz-Gibbon said.
Professor Fitz-Gibbon’s recommendation that domestic and family violence risk screening and assessment tools used by police, courts and support services should include physical and technology facilitated stalking was adopted by the State Coroner. “Attention should be paid to this recommendation in all Australian states and territories. These abusive behaviours can indicate a risk of escalation of violence, and intimate partner homicide – and should not go undetected”, she said.
In their Press Club address earlier this month, Mr Tyler and Professor Fitz-Gibbon urged Australian state and territory governments to update respectful relationships education curriculum to address the contemporary issues raised in the Adolescent Man Box study, several of which also emerged as issues of concern during the Coronial Inquest.
Mr Tyler said, “While Australia can absolutely be proud of its efforts to date related to respectful relationships education – the Adolescent Man Box study and the findings from the Lilie James Coronial Inquest provide an important opportunity to update that curriculum and renew a commitment to effective implementation. The Inquest findings specifically identify the need to expand our efforts to reach young men aged 16 to 24 years old as part of these efforts.”
While the jurisdiction of the Court is NSW specific, Fitz-Gibbon and Tyler highlight that the Coroner’s recommendations are relevant to federal, state and territory efforts to address men’s violence.
Download the Adolescent Man Box report at: www.adolescentmanbox.org.au
