Special Edition - Jo Cooper: Breaking Silence, Building Courage through Clare’s Law

What happens when silence protects abusers more than it protects victims?

In this Special Edition of the Healing Through Love Podcast, advocate and recording artist Jo Cooper joins Sharlene Lynch to unpack one of the most urgent conversations of our time — the apathy and silence surrounding abuse, bullying, and domestic violence prevention.

Jo Cooper is not only a survivor; she’s a movement maker. Her landmark legal victory in Cooper v The Owners – Strata Plan No 58068 secured her place in one of the Top 10 Influential Court Cases of the 21st Century. Today, she’s leading a national campaign for Clare’s Law — legislation that empowers individuals to know if their partner has a history of violence.

In this transformative episode, Jo and Sharlene dive into how silence enables harm, why bystanders hold the key to prevention, and what every listener can do to change the culture around violence and accountability.

You’ll discover:

• The power of calling injustice out early before silence becomes complicity.
• The responsibility and influence of bystanders in breaking the cycle of abuse.
• Practical steps to shift the narrative, empower communities, and create environments where safety is everyone’s business.

This isn’t just an interview; it’s a wake-up call. Jo’s courage and clarity will leave you questioning your own role in moments that matter — and how you can help turn awareness into action.

Join us for this heartfelt and fearless conversation that reminds us all: real change begins when one voice refuses to stay quiet.

Letter Template

https://htlaustralia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Template-for-writing-to-local-MP-about-Clares-Law.docx

CONNECT WITH JO:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jocoopervoice/

Website: https://thegoodwarrior.com.au

PROMOTION: https://thegoodwarrior.com.au/#motivational-speaker

♥ ♥

Chapters

• 1:31 Cooper's New South Wales petition garnered 20,978 signatures while the national petition collected 112,245 signatures in just four weeks, with the national petition being referred to the Attorney General on November 3rd.
• 3:03 Cooper believes the backlash against Clare's Law stems from stakeholder organizations and charities that make careers out of survivor stories, with many lacking lived experience leadership.
• 6:14 Over 133,000 signatures across two petitions demonstrate strong public support for Clare's Law despite lack of media or industry backing.
• 6:59 No stakeholder organizations claiming to advocate for domestic and family violence are supporting Cooper's Clare's Law initiative.
• 11:12 South Australia already has a working disclosure scheme that is performing so well that the UK is looking to model their system after South Australia's approach.
• 13:18 Listeners can support Clare's Law by writing to their local members and ministers in charge of women's safety and domestic violence using the template

Transcript

Rose | 00:00
Today, on a special edition of the Headings for Love podcast, we dive into a story that's changing lives and challenging systems. Clare's Law. A movement born from heartbreak is giving people the right to know if their partner has a history of violence. It's about safety. It's about empowerment and it's about time. And leading the charge in Australia is singer, advocate and survivor, Joe Cooper. Her courage has turned personal pain into national action. Her voice, both on stage and in Parliament, is demanding that every person has the right to be informed, protected and free from abuse. In this powerful conversation, Sharlene Lynch sits down with Jo to explore the story behind the movement. The fight for legislative change and how awareness can literally save lives. Because healing isn't just about surviving. It's about creating a world where no one has to live in fear. This is Healing Through Love. And this is Jo Cooper. And Clare's Law. The Healing Through Love Podcast with Sharlene Lynch and Rose Davidson. 

 Sharlene | 01:17
Jo, thank you so much for coming back to the show. It's great to have you here with us on Healing Through Love today. Let's unpack for our listeners who may not be aware or might have forgotten exactly what Clare's Law is about. 

 Jo | 01:31
Thank you for having me again on such an important topic. Clare's Law would give people the right to know if their partner or potential partner has a history of violence. It's something that I have been lobbying for since February. The first petition was a New South Wales one and we managed to get 20,978 signatures. The national petition in just four weeks, I managed to garner 112,245 signatures. The backlash is intense. 
 So government isn't supporting a disclosure scheme, which is wild, in my opinion. And As of the 3rd of this month, so the 3rd of November, Thankfully and very gratefully, it has been referred, the national petition that is, to the Attorney General and as procedure goes, ministers from all around the country have 90 days to respond to that message. Petition. 

 Sharlene | 02:36
Okay, so I have a couple of questions for you. Why do you think it's getting such backlash? 
 And then secondly, what can our listeners do to help? Move this forward. First question first. 

 Jo | 02:49
Do you want me to be? Blunt? 
 Yeah, cuppa. 

 Sharlene | 02:52
I do. I want you to tell me like it is. Let's just have a girlfriend conversation over a. 

 Jo | 03:00
Okay. Two. Okay. Hang on, I have to leave. Okay, I'm going to be really blunt because I strongly believe that being polite is not useful to anybody. And we are in a national crisis. 
 So let's just remind everybody of that. I think everybody knows. It seems our politicians, our stakeholders and our academics may have forgotten, but we are in a national crisis. And unfortunately... I believe. That Lived experience is not leading the way. But prevention is not leading the way. 
 So who is leading the way? We have people who are the head of stakeholder organizations, charities that make a career out of our stories. 
 So they are going from organization to organization, charity to charity. And there's no lived experience in a lot of them. I'm not saying every single situation. Falls into this, but I feel like there is a majority. And In my New South Wales parliamentary debate, which was a response to my New South Wales petition, The current minister in New South Wales and the two other Labor ministers are all women, you Shockingly, relied on a small number study from Monash University. I think it was 12 individuals that had lived experience and 11 individuals that was in a report from New South Wales. This is hardly research. The wrong people are leading policy. And I believe that's why the backlash is. When you present prevention, What you're ultimately doing, unfortunately, by default is highlighting failure. In the system and people don't like that. And our government is funding this research. 
 So... It's what I believed. Convoluted? I feel like there's a lot of self-interest and I don't believe the people, the victim survivors are the main interest, if I'm really honest. 

 Sharlene | 05:19
Okay. Let's play devil's advocate. 
 So I'm a survivor and so is Rose. And we live in the land of survivors.- Call ourselves Thrivers and we're doing life differently and we're living in a place of forgiveness so we're not carrying around that burden and we are living a different life and helping others who are now transitioning from that space. 
 Likewise. So yes, so I'm a lived experience. Yes. And I have either been in a relationship or have very close friends who have children in this particular case, who have been wrongly accused. Absolutely. 
 So, do you think... As devil's advocate here, do you think that could be one of the challenge is that people who have been wrongly accused we putting in the same bucket? 

 Jo | 06:14
I don't think that's, political viewpoint. I think that may be some of the public's, but you know, For two... Petitions with no media or industry backing. I gained over 133,000 signatures. I think that's a pretty strong indication of what Australia wants. I don't think... The fear of false accusations is what is worrying our politicians. No. But I am aware of that. And that is something front of mind for me. 

 Sharlene | 06:49
What do you think is stopping them moving it forward? 

 Jo | 06:52
If everybody wants Well, it's survivors who want it. 

 Sharlene | 06:53
It, then why isn't it being moved forward? 

 Jo | 06:59
There is not one stakeholder who's backing me. I'm not getting support from anybody who claims to be an advocate for of domestic and family violence. And I truly believe, unfortunately, that a lot of them, their business model is crisis management. It's not prevention. My aim with Everything that I do is to make this sector smaller because we are getting closer. To fewer cases. To more robust education around the police responses, to services that people trust. Did you know that 70% of victims do not call specialised services? Yes. And yet we are funding each year. There's a call for funding and you may say, well, hang on, we don't have enough funding. All the funding All the research all the stakeholders, all the new charities, Where are we? We're not improving. 
 So something isn't working. 

 Sharlene | 08:04
So if I am to read between the lines, what you're saying is the reason why it's not being moved forward is because the people that could move it forward have a vested interest in us not moving forward. 

 Jo | 08:19
Absolutely. Does that make sense? That's absolutely what I'm saying. I'm not really mincing words. That's absolutely how I feel. 

 Sharlene | 08:26
So with that in mind, what can our listeners do to move this forward to for survivors for people who are dating and are curious who have enough nous to want to check it out to see whether or not could i be attracting someone that could be a perpetrator How can they do? What can they do? This is for the mothers out there. This is for the sisters. For out there that have had someone in their life that's been affected by family. 

 Jo | 08:55
The women. 

 Sharlene | 09:01
Can I say and or domestic violence? Is it both family and domestic? 

 Jo | 09:04
It's for men as well. 

 Sharlene | 09:06
So family and domestic violence, both sexes here and everyone else in between. So what can they do? 

 Jo | 09:12
So at the moment, sorry, forgive me if I'm repeating myself, we have 90 days to mobilize our ministers. And help them understand that we need this in place. What I'm proposing is we have a centralized data system for all states and territories. 
 So it doesn't matter if you're being convicted in New South Wales and you move to Queensland or you move to Darwin or WA, The police records are all the same across the country. I believe in the long term that will be cost effective because that's another excuse they do rely on is it's expensive, you know. 
 Anyway, moving on. So I believe that If you're interested in writing to your local member, That is going to be very helpful. If you can then write to the ministers in charge of women, safety, domestic violence. I have a template that I'm happy to share with others if they don't know what to write. But at the moment... We have less than 90 days. 
 So we have 90 days since the 3rd of November. Help educate our ministers as to why this is important so that's what listeners can do if they are interested in doing so. 

 Sharlene | 10:36
Let's make it easier for them can you please share those words so that we can put them in the show notes and in the show description yes so that i can make it easy just to cut and paste and send them to you absolutely now how does somebody find out who their minister is if they don't know. 

 Jo | 10:50
So I can't tell everybody who their minister is, but if you get online and put in your suburbs, where you live and you literally Google who is my local member, it should come up. 

 Sharlene | 11:02
Yay. 

 Jo | 11:02
See. 

 Sharlene | 11:03
That's so easy. Then you're going to cut and paste the words we're going to share with you so that we can make Clare's Law, we'll be the first in the world, won't. 

 Jo | 11:11
We? If we... Implement it nationally? Yes. I don't know if I told you last time, we have the disclosure scheme in South Australia. 

 Sharlene | 11:22
Yes. 

 Jo | 11:23
Yes. Okay. It is working really well there. It is working so well there that the UK. Where Clare's law was born is actually looking at South Australia to model their system off. 
 So it is mind boggling as to why we as a nation are not jumping on this and implementing it Everywhere. It's heartbreaking. This isn't fun for me, by the way, to call out. It comes with a lot of backlash. And as I've said, you do not get a lot of support for the work I do. The reason I do it is because we can't afford ego or this civility in a space where people are being harmed every week. I was just having a conversation with somebody the other day and they asked me, do you think people have become too sensitized to the head, sensitized, desensitized, sorry. To the headlines and my answer is yes. Because we can... We can... 
 You know, paper after paper, headline after headline, we can tell people, that we've lost another woman. There's been another case, but we're not telling them what we're doing about it. And so people have just lost hope. He's... 
 Like you, I deal with survivors every day. And it is heart wrenching to know that the response is still the same from when I went through it myself. The hope is and the faith is very low and the faith in our government is next to zero. 
 So... We can sit back. And make excuses for them. Or we can say enough is really enough and we need change. 

 Sharlene | 13:16
Okay, so we are going to write, well, first of all, Google to figure out who our minister is for those of our audience who are unaware. 
 And then you are going to cut and paste the information that we're going to put in the show notes and the show description and you're going to send it to your minister. And, you know, for those of us who live in South Australia, hello, I live in South Australia, you know, we're leading the way. And, yes, if the rest of Australia could get on board so that we can create, let's face it, safety for people. 

 Jo | 13:50
Absolutely. 

 Sharlene | 13:50
Yeah. - And-- - and burst the bubble because we have to do something and being forearmed, having that knowledge that, actually, is this a really wise choice, will give us that opportunity to take a pause, make a different decision and, you know, have a conversation if that's where you're going with it or if not, run the other way. 

 Jo | 13:52
You're asking? 
 You know, and that's exactly it. I acknowledge the fact this is not 100% foolproof. But nothing is. And At the end of the day, it's giving people agency. They can choose to take the information and help themselves. They can choose not to even access it. It is entirely up to the individual. But to not make it available at all when we know the evidence is there. I think that That's wrong. 

 Sharlene | 14:51
Yes, and we've got a very tight 90-day window to get this through. And I look with all of my heart, I hope that... I hope that that's not the case, that the people that can make the decisions are not pushing it forward because they've got a vested interest in maintaining a broken system. That would be, that would not be my happy place to imagine that we live in a country where that's what we're looking for. 
 So I'm saying it with one hand, I'm not believing it in the other and I'm praying for a different outcome. Yes. And that's what it's sort of looking like from here because people are not willing to champion it. Now it could be that this is such a touchy subject and that it's not so well supported across the board that politicians mostly, I love you all politicians and some of you are my family and friends, that you sit on the fence a little bit because You know, it's a vote, yeah? But, you know, we're looking for politicians that have got I was going to say it, conviction. It was going to start with B, what I was going to say. Conviction. And stand up for the values that we hold so dear in Australia, which is that level of safety. 
 You know, we don't have guns because we're Safety is really important for us in Australia. Yeah. We've got an opportunity to make something that's working very well in South Australia across the board work so that we can be forearmed and forlorn. 
 You know, we can make those right decisions. So if you're listening today, we're a little bit passionate. Yes, we are. And we'd love you to jump on the bandwagon and just send that email to your MP and help us move this forward. 
 So it is a national agreement. And we will be the first, if we do, we'll be the first country in the world to have adopted such. 
 A law let's put it this way a law that can make a difference. 

 Jo | 16:57
Absolutely it's a preventative measure I'm hoping that, you know, what I'm looking to do is really put forward a lot more preventative measures. We don't have enough. We really don't. We're very reactive. And we can't live in that space. We can't afford to with the reality. We want to prevent it as much as we can. We know that we're never... Going to wipe out violence. It's not a realistic... Gold. It would be a dream, but I know we can do better than what we're doing. And I'm not talking a small percent. I know we can save a lot of people with this. 
 Some different tools in place. Not just Clare's Law. It's one step. In I hope many positive steps forward. 

 Sharlene | 17:49
I love it. Wow. This has been a passionate conversation. 

 Jo | 17:53
I am known to be passionate. 

 Sharlene | 17:55
I love that about you. And so what's next for you after this, after the 90 days has come to a conclusion? What's next for. 

 Jo | 18:05
You? I'll start. 
 Well, it depends on the outcome, to be honest. I hope it goes the way it needs to. If not, I will continue to find another way. I run The Good Warrior, which is all about transforming bystanders into warriors of change and empowering people's voices to ignite impact. That is, you know, The Good Warrior's entire slogan. We need to make people... Believe in the power of their voice. To create change. 
 So I will always be doing that work. I am currently writing a book, but it's considered I'm, going to say controversial. It is about bullying in strata world. 
 So I'm up to a lot, but all under the good warrior and using my art to... Really invoke emotion. To make people feel and... And believe in themselves. 

 Sharlene | 19:00
I love it. I was at a fundraiser yesterday and one of the topics of conversation for the parents that were standing around the bar drinking their mimosas was that they've taken their kids out of school because of bullying. It's not the sort of conversation I was expecting to have as a 60 year old with grandchildren is that This is still real. Bullying is still there, hasn't gone away. It was definitely there in my year, at my age, but it's just, it perplexes me as to why we still live in an environment where there's It is even happening when we've got so many things that we can do to change that. 
 So I love that you're doing bullying in Strata title, same, a little different, but you know what? It's still bullying. The. 

 Jo | 19:48
Work I do across Strata and The Good Warrior for me is exactly the same. Because bullying, abuse... And All those horrific things stem from disrespect. And unfortunately, We can concentrate on children. But the reason I concentrate on the adult is because we're not born with these behaviours. We see these behaviours as children. And we copy them. 
 So until the adults start behaving better. And there's not so much bullying and abuse and gaslighting and gossip amongst the adults. Children and bullying in schools is not going to improve. And I hate to tell you, it's pretty rife. It's really rife. The reason I'm writing my book is because In Desperate Hope... That it ignites an inquiry. That is my ultimate aim. Because if you read it, I don't think you're going to be very happy or comfortable with the level of bullying and abuse. And I don't think it changes unless we call it out. And, Too many people are too fearful to do that. 

 Sharlene | 21:05
Thank you so much, Jo, for being a returning guest. It's a privilege and a pleasure as always to have you join us. Now, next time you join us, we would love you to actually talk about your personal story because Clare's Law will be signed off. Everyone will have it. It'll be a global thing by this stage and we'll be on the next chapter. 
 So I'm looking forward to having another conversation with you moving forward. Thank you so much. 

 Jo | 21:31
Jo. Thanks for having me. 

 Outro | 21:37
Thank you for joining us for this episode of Healing Through Love. You can get further resources See the show notes or simply reach out to us via our website at htlaustralia.org. Thanks so much for joining us and we look forward to your company next time on the Healing Through Love podcast.