National Partnership Provides $47.8M to Combat Domestic Violence

Services providing frontline support to women and children experiencing domestic and family violence (DFV) will receive a share of $47.8 million in Commonwealth Government funding under the Family, Domestic and Sexual Violence National Partnership Agreement 2023-25 (NPA).

These include early intervention initiatives, specialist services, innovative pilot programs, and workforce capability development projects.

From the age of 15, 1 in 4 women and 1 in 8 men in Australia have experienced violence by an intimate partner or family member.

In NSW, there are around 2,500 reports of domestic violence to the police every month.

Last year, there were 36,072 incidents of domestic violence related assault and 19 domestic violence related murders of women and children in the state.

Aboriginal women and children are also over-represented as victim-survivors of family violence.

The NPA 2023-25 includes:

• $25.6 million for response, recovery and healing initiatives
• $15.9 million for early intervention initiatives
• $6.3 million for workforce and sector capability building

Funding under the 2023-25 NPA will be put towards projects that help to achieve Target 13 of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap: to cut the rate of family violence and abuse against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and children by 50 per cent by 2031. This round of funding will invest in vital, culturally appropriate services to Aboriginal women and children.

Workforce capability projects will focus on training specialist frontline DFV workers to identify and respond to the dynamics of coercive control, and activities to support faith, community and sporting leaders when engaging with people who disclose experiences of DFV.

The funding will also continue some grants awarded to DFV service providers that were funded under NPA 2021-2023.

This includes 10 organisations delivering tailored men's behavioural change programs for Aboriginal people, culturally and linguistically diverse groups, the LGBTQIA+ community, people with cognitive impairment and the Aboriginal Wellbeing and Family Violence Prevention Program in Tamworth.

Youth Justice NSW will receive funding to continue to deliver a range of programs including support services for young people to understand Apprehended Domestic Violence Order (ADVO) conditions, court processes and bail conditions. The funding secures the continuation of DFV Family Workers in key locations across NSW to provide therapeutic and practical support to families and young people, support additional psychologists and improve court resources.

The Commonwealth funding under the NPA will complement the NSW government's $230 million emergency domestic violence package.

Federal Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth said:

"Ending violence against women and children is a national priority shared by all Australian governments.

"We are working in partnership with the NSW Government to end the cycle of violence and build the capacity of our frontline workforce.

"This investment is in line with our multipronged approach to fund initiatives across the four domains of the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children - prevention, early intervention, response, and healing and recovery."

Minister for Health Ryan Park said:

"Domestic violence has an awful impact on families, and it affects all sections of our society.

"I am really proud we have in place a number of measures within our healthcare system including prenatal screening, which will identify and protect some of our most vulnerable women and children."

Minister for Youth Justice Jihad Dib said:

"Juvenile domestic and family violence offenders can often be victims or survivors of domestic and family violence themselves, and early intervention programs are vital to respond to young people using or experiencing violence in their homes. Initiatives like the DFV Family Workers are a practical way we can work with communities and empower families to make positive decisions, as well as help divert young people from the criminal justice system."

Minister for Families and Communities Kate Washington said:

"Domestic and family violence is a cowardly crime and the NSW government is looking at every lever to keep women and children safe.

"We know many vulnerable children in the foster care system come from houses of violence, highlighting the importance of early intervention programs to support families to stay safely together."

Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Treaty David Harris said:

"With Aboriginal women and children over-represented as family and domestic violence victim-survivors, this funding will boost on-the-ground support services in communities where they're most needed.

"It will also contribute to efforts to meet the Closing the Gap target of halving rates of family and domestic violence in Aboriginal communities by 2031."

Minister for the Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Jodie Harrison said:

"The statistics for domestic and family violence are shocking and tragic.

"Beyond the numbers, we know that family violence can have destructive consequences for women and children and can leave a devastating impact on the community.

"Our government is committed to seeing dramatic improvements in the rates of domestic, family and sexual violence, and what we need to focus on is delivering appropriate and effective, whole-of-community services for victim-survivors."