The NSW Women's Alliance has called on the NSW Government commit to our nine-point plan to address sexual violence in New South Wales:
- Introduce affirmative consent laws in NSW.
- Introduce changes to evidence and procedural law to make the court process more accessible, safer, and trauma-informed for adult sexual assault complainants.
- Better recognise sexual assault in the context of domestic and family violence in our laws, including introducing jury directions on domestic violence.
- Develop a model for the practical implementation of court specialisation for matters involving domestic, family and sexual violence in NSW, including attached support services for victim-survivors and offenders.
- Fund sexual assault case management teams to operate out of currently funded domestic and family violence specialist services, and supports for young offenders.
- Fund independent legal representation for sexual assault complainants in criminal trials.
- Introduce mandatory reporting and systematic audits of sexual assault complaints in aged and disability care settings, and develop a trauma specialist, survivor-led response to disclosures.
- Fund a comprehensive, whole-of-community primary prevention strategy for NSW, in line with the national framework Change the story: A shared framework for the primary prevention of violence against women and their children in Australia, including a roll out of whole-of-school community education on consent.
- Examine alternative pathways to supplement the criminal justice system in holding perpetrators to account and delivering justice for victim-survivors, noting that the overwhelming majority of victim-survivors of sexual assault do not want to report to police or engage in current court processes but do want access to justice.
"Enough is enough" says Hayley Foster, Chief Executive Officer of Women's Safety NSW. "We know what needs to be done to reform the system. It's time to roll up our sleeves and get to work on implementing these long overdue reforms."
"Everyone deserves to be free from sexual violence."
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