Recommendation 1

The Commonwealth and state and territory governments to agree that ‘ending gender-based violence, including violence against children and young people’ becomes an ongoing priority of National Cabinet.

Update as at 28 November 2025

On 6 September 2024, National Cabinet agreed that ending the national crisis of violence against women and children will remain an ongoing priority for National Cabinet. This is now listed as one of National Cabinet’s six priority areas.

Recommendation 2

The Commonwealth and state and territory governments to strongly embed and build on culturally-informed and place-based domestic, family and sexual violence responses for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, families and communities, noting the significant work under way to develop a First Nations National Plan. This should include genuine and ongoing consideration of the evidence provided to the Senate Inquiry into Missing and Murdered First Nations women and children, and the commitments under Target 13 of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap.

Update as at 28 November 2025

On 6 September 2024, National Cabinet committed to maintaining a central focus on missing and murdered First Nations women and children and agreed that all government commitments on gender-based violence must explicitly consider the needs and experiences of First Nations people, and be delivered in genuine partnership with First Nations communities.

The Australian Government is working with all states and territories to develop Our Ways – Strong Ways – Our Voices: National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Plan to End Family, Domestic and Sexual Violence (Our Ways).The Government anticipates that Our Ways will be finalised soon.

The Australia Government’s response to the Senate Inquiry report on Missing and Murdered First Nations Women and Children was tabled on 25 November 2024. The Government is working with states and territories, and in partnership with First Nations people and the Coalition of Peaks, to ensure the Inquiry’s Report informs practical action. This includes through the development of Our Ways and the National Peak Body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Family Safety.

The Australian Capital Territory Government has formally accepted all 12 recommendations from The Long Yarn report. Led by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community and authorised by the Domestic Violence Prevention Council (DVPC) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Expert Reference Group, the report calls on the community and ACT Government to work together to build capacity to address domestic and family violence including through long-term funding to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led services and working with men and boys as victims, perpetrators of family violence, and allies in preventing violence.

The New South Wales Government is developing its first dedicated Aboriginal Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Plan in partnership with CTG Target 13 Coalition of Aboriginal peaks co lead, the Aboriginal Legal Service NSW/Australian Capital Territory (ACT) ($2 million). The standalone plan will elevate and integrate the voices and lived experiences of Aboriginal children, women, and communities impacted by domestic, family and sexual violence and support systematic action to respond to the disproportionate rates of DFSV experienced by Aboriginal women and children. The NSW Government anticipates releasing the plan in 2026, following the launch of the National Plan.

The New South Wales Government in response to Closing the Gap Target 13 has invested in a range of Aboriginal-led, innovative service responses to address DFSV in under-serviced regional remote and metro communities across the state. These place-based holistic responses for victim-survivors and their children, and persons using violence, aim to strengthen cultural safety, prevent violence and respond earlier to mitigate statutory involvement and support healing for families impacted by family and sexual violence.

The Victorian Government has implemented Dhelk Dja - Safe Our Way: Strong Culture, Strong Peoples, Strong Families (Dhelk Dja), an Aboriginal-led agreement that brings together Aboriginal communities, services, and government to work together and be accountable for ensuring Aboriginal people, families, and communities are stronger, safer, thriving, and living free from family violence. The Dhelk Dja agreement is implemented through a series of action plans, with the third action plan (2026 to 2028) being developed by the Dhelk Dja Partnership Forum through an Aboriginal-led agreement-making process.

The Victorian Government has also provided increased funding to legal assistance through the $92.8 million Strengthening Women’s Safety Package. Funding is tailored to enable services to work with marginalised victim survivors of family violence, including by providing funding to services with high demand from Aboriginal and/or multicultural communities), services accessed by women misidentified as the primary aggressor and legal services accessed by women in custody.

The Western Australian Government has invested in the Aboriginal Family Safety Grants Program which supports initiatives that align with the four key areas of the state's Aboriginal Family Safety Strategy 2022–2032, with a particular emphasis on healing ($6 million). Twelve initiatives have been funded across the state, and the program is being independently evaluated.

Recommendation 3:

The Commonwealth and state and territory governments to prioritise the experiences of communities that are marginalised especially Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, migrant and refugee communities, women and children with disabilities, LGBTIQA+ people, older women and regional and remote communities in implementing all of the recommendations in this report. Addressing gender-based violence for communities experiencing intersecting forms of marginalisation lays the foundation for population-wide success. Where applicable, implementation should involve a genuine and sustained co-design approach to ensure that affected communities are identifying priorities of greatest urgency and value to them.

Update as at 28 November 2025

The National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022–2032 (National Plan) recognises that violence against women and children impacts people in different ways, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, migrant and refugee communities, women and children with disabilities, and LGBTIQA+ people. This means considering diverse experiences of violence across all action to end gender-based violence, as well as taking a targeted approach where needed.

Australia’s Disability Strategy 2021–2031 is the Australian Government’s national policy framework that sets out a ten-year plan for continuing to improve the lives of people with disability. The Safety, Rights and Justice Targeted Action Plan 2025-2027 outlines practical steps to prevent people with disability from experiencing harm. Identification of specific initiatives to implement this Action Plan are underway. The Australian Government has also committed funding ($0.5 million) to apply a disability lens to the First Action Plan 2023-2027 of the National Plan. This work will identify how each action in the First Action Plan will address the needs of women and girls with disability. This work anticipated to be finalised by early 2026.

The Victorian Government has released Until Every Victorian is Safe: Third Rolling Action Plan to End Family and Sexual Violence 2025 to 2027, the third action plan under Victoria’s 10-year plan for change Ending Family Violence. Guided by lived experience, intersectionality, Aboriginal self-determination, and accountability, its actions include delivering programs that help parents challenge gendered expectations and model healthy relationships, the Free from Violence local government program, and partnering with the Victorian Women’s Health Services Network.