Recommendation 9

The Commonwealth, through the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) and with state and territory governments, to expedite a needs analysis to determine unmet demand in DFSV crisis response, recovery and healing (excluding police), with the view to develop a pathway to fund demand. This should take into consideration the needs of different groups of women and children and the demand for targeted and culturally safe responses, such as ethno-specific services and Aboriginal and s Strait Islander community-controlled organisations, with a particular focus on remote communities.

More immediately, there should be a significant funding uplift for:

1. legal services, noting the recommendations of the Independent Review of the National Legal Assistance Partnership (NLAP) and the expiry of the current partnership on 30 June 2025;
2. crisis accommodation, noting commitments to date and what is outlined in Recommendation 10; and
3. establishment of nationally consistent travel assistance for people escaping DFSV who live in remote areas (Commonwealth and states and territories).

Update as at 28 November 2025

Following National Cabinet on 6 September 2024, in November 2024 the Commonwealth, state and territory Attorneys-General agreed to the terms of the new National Access to Justice Partnership 2025-30 (NAJP). The NAJP commenced on 1 July 2025, following the expiry of the National Legal Assistance Program. Through the NAJP, the Australian Government is providing a $3.9 billion investment to support frontline legal assistance services, including an increase of nearly $800 million to support specialist legal services. One of the priorities of the NAJP is providing services for women and children who are escaping or at risk of experiencing family and domestic violence.

Following the 6 September 2024 National Cabinet announcement of a renewed Federation Funding Agreement (FFA), the renewed FDSV FFA commenced on 1 July 2025. The Commonwealth, in partnership with states and territories, is investing over $700 million in new matched funding under this FFA. Funding will support specialist supports for women and services to support children exposed to FDSV to heal and recover, and invest in working with men - including men’s behaviour change programs for perpetrators of gendered violence. States and territories are currently finalising their project plans, which will be published on the Department of Social Services website in 2026.

The Australian Government has funded the AIHW to develop a prototype for a national family and domestic violence specialist crisis services data collection. The project will develop, test and agree on a core set of data items that can be collected to quantify demand, as well as provide information about the characteristics and outcomes achieved for people accessing these services nationally. Currently in Phase 2, the project is progressing development of the prototype. A dedicated First Nations phase of work is also being developed, with a complementary governance arrangement. The project is due to be completed in 2026.

The New South Wales Government is investing in programs to support victim-survivors as part of a justice system package ($500 million). This includes an additional $227 million for the Victims’ Support Service, $49.4 million to establish a new hub to support victim-survivors to participate in legal proceedings and $12.8 million to help reduce stress and trauma for child complaints and witnesses in sexual offence proceedings. The NSW Government has also committed $272.7 million over four years to continue delivery of critical services to support victim-survivors, and begin long-term system reform, including better synchronising, connecting and using data to understand the true demands on its’ service system.

In their 2025-26 State Budget, the Victorian Government provided $172 million over 4 years to prevent and respond to family and sexual violence. This funding will maintain vital frontline specialist family violence services for victim and includes family violence case management and flexible support packages, support for children in refuges, specialist sexual assault services and services for young people using harmful sexual behaviours and their families. The budget also invests $43 million to continue to support children, families and those in the community with disability or complex needs. To support victim-survivors in the justice system, the Victorian Government has allocated $287 million towards the Financial Assistance Scheme and supporting victims of crime, $24 million for specialised family violence legal services and $19 million for dedicated Court Security Officers at Specialist Family Violence Courts.

Recommendation 10

The Commonwealth and state and territory governments to apply a prevention lens to the resourcing and delivery of crisis response and recovery services. This includes through:

1. replacing motels and other high-cost temporary crisis accommodation with specialist crisis accommodation that provide wraparound services (states and territories);
2. resourcing the DFSV sector for long-term case management, following the needs analysis identified in Recommendation 9 (states and territories); and
3. increasing linkage between the DFSV and homelessness sectors, and align these sectors in national frameworks and plans (Commonwealth and states and territories).

Update as at 28 November 2025

The Australian Government is continuing to deliver crisis, transitional, social and affordable housing for at-risk Australians. This includes initiatives such as the:

• $1 billion National Housing Infrastructure Facility – Crisis and Transitional Housing.
• $100 million Crisis and Transitional Accommodation Program under the Housing Australia Future Fund.
• $175.1 million provided under the Safe Places Emergency Accommodation Program.
• $93.5 billion through the National Agreement on Social Housing and Homelessness to state and territory governments to help people who are experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness.
• $41.72 million for the Keeping Women Safe in their Home program, which aims to enhance the home security and personal safety of women and their children impacted by family and domestic violence.

The Northern Territory Government is increasing investment in frontline FDSV services by $5.2 million per year to enhance service provision and wraparound support for victim survivors, including counselling, outreach and flexible support funding, and enable services to address unmet need.

The Queensland Government is providing increased funding to double the capacity of Queensland’s 24/7 domestic and family violence crisis response services, including a new North Queensland-based hub ($31.3 million). The 2024-25 review of DVConnect – which provides the state-wide FDSV crisis intake and referral system – will inform future design and changes to boost the capacity of the telephone crisis lines.

The Tasmanian Government is expanding its support for the Family Violence Rapid Rehousing program for people affected by family violence ($1.5 million). This program provides housing assistance for people escaping family violence through transitional accommodation with leases up to 12 months at subsidised rent, until they are able to transition to independent living.

The Victorian Government is supporting McAuley Community Services for Women to deliver an innovative Safe at Home trial in Geelong with community services provider, Meli through the Strengthening Women’s Safety Package. This initiative enables victim survivors, including children and young people experiencing family violence, to stay in the family home by providing case management and trauma counselling support for victim-survivors, as well as access to integrated legal and financial counselling responses. Crisis brokerage for alternative short-term accommodation is provided through this model for the person using violence. The initiative uses system levers to keep people using violence in view, to support risk assessment and safety planning with victim survivors.

The Western Australia Government is investing in family violence prevention through the expansion of the Safe at Home program ($14 million). The program undertakes risk assessments, safety planning, security upgrades and provide in-home support for people escaping FDSV so that they can safely stay in their own homes or a home of their choice, where it is safe to do so. In 2025, the Western Australian Government also established a fifth Perth city-based hub service, operating within the Angela Wright Bennett Centre. The Centre is a purpose-built facility offering a state-of-the-art healing and recovery centre for women, with or without accompanying children, who are affected by family and domestic violence. It offers safe accommodation (13 units) alongside a One Stop Hub, providing a range of services to support families to recover and re-establish their lives.

Recommendation 11

The Commonwealth and state and territory governments to activate the health system and workforce as a key prevention lever. This should include:

1. equipping and resourcing General Practitioners (GPs), perinatal, and mental health and alcohol and other drug (AOD) services to identify and support DFSV victim-survivors and people who use violence (Commonwealth and states and territories);
2. creating a specific Medicare item number for GPs that enables them to spend appropriate time with victim-survivors (Commonwealth);
3. mandating training of professionals in general primary and mental health settings in adult and child safeguarding, including DFSV, as a requirement for registration through the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Commonwealth and states and territories); and
4. increasing cross-sector collaboration between the AOD and DFSV sector and provide specialised services for women that are family friendly and support caring for children (states and territories).

Update as at 28 November 2025

The Australian Government has a range of measures underway under the National Plan to activate the health system as a prevention lever – some commencing prior to and some following the Rapid Review. This includes support for:

• six Primary Health Networks to trial delivering outreach health care to victim-survivors in women's crisis accommodation and services to support women and children fleeing violence ($6 million).
• 12 Primary Health Networks to assist in the early identification and intervention of FDSV and coordinate referrals to support services ($48.7 million).
• six Primary Health Networks to trial a new model of trauma-informed mental health recovery care for victim-survivors of FDSV ($62.7 million).
• national primary care training, including building the capacity of primary health care providers to respond, refer and record disclosures of FDSV using a trauma and violence informed approach ($2 million).
• a landmark initiative to establish a Women’s Trauma Recovery Centre providing trauma-informed services and innovative wrap‑around care to women and children in the Illawarra region who have experienced FDV ($25 million).
• men’s health training for primary healthcare practitioners ($11.3 million).

The Queensland Government has updated tools and resources to improve the understanding and capacity of health professionals, particularly frontline health clinicians, to respond to DFV victim-survivors and those at risk of DFV and intimate partner sexual violence in public health settings. This includes updated training and resources related to persons using violence, non-fatal strangulation and other forms of intimate partner violence. Queensland Health has also developed a new DFV Capability Framework to support a more proactive, considered and consistent response across hospital and health services, based on consideration of what is needed to support disclosures or suspicions in different operating contexts.

Recommendation 12

The Commonwealth and state and territory governments to take targeted efforts to address the significant gaps in responses to people who use violence. This should include:

1. strengthening initial justice responses to facilitate advice and assistance beyond legal needs, which can help to reduce risk and improve compliance, including access to crisis accommodation (states and territories); and
2. improving the national evidence base, quality, capability and supply of men’s behaviour change programs, including through a focus on continuous improvement. Behaviour change programs should:
   1. be part of a community-coordinated response;
   2. be provided at appropriate intervention points;
   3. emphasise the value of associated support to victim-survivors through partner and family safety contact; and
   4. facilitate/co-locate access to support for needs related to harmful substance abuse, histories of trauma, cognitive impairment and mental ill-health through a DFSV-informed lens (states and territories, with Commonwealth supporting national consistency and best practice).

Update as at 28 November 2025

At the 6 September 2024 National Cabinet meeting, the Australian Government announced it will provide funding to establish national standards for men’s behaviour change programs.

On 12 August 2025, the DFSV Commission hosted an online forum with sector stakeholders from across the broader service system (including men’s behaviour change practitioners and other organisations who work with men and boys) on developing national standards for men’s behaviour change programs. The forum discussed existing evidence gaps and opportunities to support improved practice outcomes across the system. A summary report of what was discussed will be published on the Commission’s website. The Commission has published an overview of recent research, policy development and service delivery on working with men and boys on its website.

On 15 August 2025, the Women and Women’s Safety Ministerial Council agreed to accelerate work on national standards for men’s behaviour change interventions to improve quality and practice and deliver an effective, evidence-based and more consistent approach to addressing men’s use of violence across all jurisdictions.

The New South Wales Government is focused on ensuring a high standard of delivery for Men’s Behaviour Change Programs and developing the Men’s Behaviour Change sector through practice standards for services; implementing a new data collection tool to improve data collection and monitoring; and evaluating NSW Government funded programs.

The Northern Territory Government is investing in Men’s Behaviour Change Programs that focus on working with men to prevent and respond to men’s use of DFSV ($18 million). These programs provide tailored services to men to educate them about what drives abusive behaviour. Funded services are now required to align with minimum practice standards to ensure quality and consistent program delivery across the Northern Territory. The Northern Territory Government also commissioned the Australian National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety (ANROWS) to undertake an evaluation of program implementation, released in April 2025.

The South Australian Government has passed legislation criminalising coercive control. The reforms will criminalise controlling behaviours within both current and former intimate partner relationships.

The Queensland Government is developing a DFV Reform Strategy which will include a focus on persons using violence as one of its key domains, along with early intervention for individuals and families. The Strategy will reset the Queensland Government’s direction for DFV reform over the next ten years to deliver whole-of-government and whole-of-community responses, integrated services, equitable service access state-wide, and a quality data and system performance approach. It will set the foundations for delivering effective and sustainable change, informed by contemporary evidence and lived experience. The people using violence pillar will aim to address DFV at its source, by focusing on those who use violence and coercive control.

The Victorian Government, in conjunction with a university partner, is progressing a Longitudinal Evaluation of Men’s Behaviour Change Programs. The study will evaluate the current state of the sector in Victoria, the effectiveness of Family Violence Perpetrator Programs in creating long-term behaviour change and inform future investments that support evidence-based family violence perpetrator interventions, to understand which programs work for which participants.

Recommendation 13

The Commonwealth and state and territory governments to work together to strengthen multi-agency approaches and better manage risk, with a lens on harm and safety, for victim-survivors of DFSV, including risk of homicide and suicide. This should include:

1. the development and implementation of nationally consistent risk assessment and management principles to be utilised across the full range of roles identified as having decision-making and/or support functions in relation to DFSV, with a proactive approach to preventing misidentification (Commonwealth and states and territories);
2. strengthening information sharing within and across jurisdictions – including through the National Criminal Intelligence System (NCIS) (Commonwealth and states and territories);
3. the introduction and expansion of multi-agency responses, including fit-for-purpose police co-responder models – with an immediate focus on collaborative responses that increase access to forensic examinations (states and territories);
4. a national approach to strengthen systems responses to high-risk perpetrators, including through trialling and evaluating DFSV threat assessment centres and evidence-based focussed deterrence models (states and territories, with Commonwealth support); and
5. all jurisdictions establishing mechanisms that are DFSV-informed for independent oversight and accountability of police response and management of DFSV (including members investigated for DFSV). These mechanisms should sit outside of police forces and be civilian-led (states and territories).

Update as at 28 November 2025

The following measures were announced at the 6 September 2024 National Cabinet, as part of the $82.4 million package to deliver innovative new approaches to better identify high risk perpetrators, share information about them across systems and state boundaries, and intervene earlier to stop violence escalating. This includes funding from the Australian Government to:

• develop new national best-practice risk assessment principles and a model best‑practice risk assessment framework ($2 million). ANROWS has been contracted to update the principles. Consultations with all jurisdictions on the development of the best-practice model risk assessment framework are underway. The principles and framework are expected to be completed by April 2026.
• enhance the National Criminal Intelligence System, which enables information sharing across jurisdictions, to provide a ‘warning flag’ that will assist police responding to high-risk perpetrators ($0.6 million).
• trial two innovative models, DV Threat Assessment Centres and focused deterrence, which will use evidence-based policing to detect, monitor and intervene with high-risk and serial domestic violence offenders ($28.6 million).
• work with states and territories to expand and increase nationally consistent, two-way information sharing between family law courts and state and territory courts, child protection, policing and firearms agencies ($50.6 million). On 15 August 2025, the Standing Council of Attorneys-General approved funding arrangements to extend information sharing under the National Strategic Framework for Information Sharing between the Family Law and Family Violence and Child Protection Systems and its Co-location Program.
• conduct critical research on bail, remand, parole and sentencing with regard to risk of intimate partner homicide; and improving the operation of court mandated behaviour change programs and their interaction with justice systems ($0.6 million).
• engage academic experts to address systemic reasons for the withdrawal of complaints, scope an independent complaints mechanism to seek review of police decisions not to pursue charges, and conduct a review of supports provided during the police investigation phase.

The Data and Digital Ministers Meeting in February 2025 agreed to commence a project under its National Data Sharing Work Program to develop guidance for jurisdictions to improve family and domestic violence information sharing functions, based on the experience of Victoria’s ‘Central Information Point’. This work built on advice to National Cabinet on ways to improve information sharing about gender-based violence perpetrators across systems and jurisdictions and will support the implementation of National Cabinet’s broader agreement on the development of a model best practice risk assessment framework.

The Northern Territory Government enhancing risk assessment and management understanding across the NT through the extended implementation of the NT DFV Risk Assessment and Management Framework (RAMF) which provides an evidence based and consistent practice framework for all workers. The RAMF Champions project is funded through the Federal Financial Agreement and enhances DFV responses for frontline universal services.

The Queensland Government is establishing a FDV peak body and will be fast-tracked to be operating by January 2026. The peak body will provide leadership to grow the capacity and capability of the FDV sector, advocate for and consolidate diverse member views across the sector, and support state-wide coordination and integration of FDV services. It will also enhance the capability and capacity of the system to respond to the needs of victim-survivors of FDV and persons who use violence.

The Victorian Government’s practice guidance and tools for direct family violence risk and wellbeing assessment of children and young people will be released in 2026. Building on the established Victorian Family Violence Multi-Agency Risk Assessment and Management Framework (MARAM), the Children and Young People project responds to the unique risks faced by children and young people at risk of family violence and includes young people using family violence in the home and in intimate partner/dating relationships. New guidance will also include specific content on identifying and responding to risk of suicide for children and young people.

The Western Australian Government is enhancing risk assessment and improving information sharing across agencies. Some of the key initiatives include updating the Common Risk Assessment and Risk Management Framework and developing an Aboriginal-specific risk assessment tool. Information sharing reforms involve creating a central data-sharing model and partnering with the Centre for Women’s Safety and Wellbeing to improve platforms and legal guidance.

Recommendation 14

The Commonwealth and state and territory governments to work together to build the specialist DFSV workforce and expand workforce capability of all services that frequently engage with victim-survivors and people who use violence. This should be done through:

1. commissioning analysis into current and future labour supply for the DFSV specialist services sector and recommendations to build and support a secure and sustainably resourced sector;
2. establishing a DFSV National Workforce Development Strategy that would expand the capacity and capability of sectors, such as the DFSV specialist sector, providing emergency services and accommodation, and including the men's behaviour change sector and the sexual violence sector; and
3. establishing a strategy for capability uplift across other intersecting workforces, and prioritising legal, justice, child protection and health (including AOD and mental health) sectors.

Update as at 28 November 2025

The Australian Government is developing a National Workforce Survey to understand the size and capabilities of the FDSV workforce ($1.39 million). The Social Research Centre has been contracted to lead this work. The approach to the survey will be developed in consultation with the sector to ensure it is fit-for-purpose, accessible and culturally sensitive. The survey will be completed in late 2026.

The Australian Government is also developing and delivering continuing professional development training for legal practitioners on coercive control ($0.9 million). The training will focus on identifying and responding to coercive control, including the use of technology-facilitated abuse as a means to perpetrate coercive control. A consortium comprising National Legal Aid, Women’s Legal Services Australia, and First Nations Advocates Against Family Violence will develop this training.

The New South Wales Government has launched the Strengthening the NSW Domestic and Family Violence Sector: Workforce Development Strategy 2025-2035. This strategy lays the foundation for long-term reform of the NSW FDSV sector, to support the recruitment and retention of highly skilled workers who help victim-survivors stay safe, heal and recover. A $2.5 million investment has been made to begin implementation of the strategy.

The New South Wales Government is also developing a Common Approach to Risk Assessment and Safety to increase safety for people experiencing FDSV by supporting workforces to better understand, identify and respond to FDSV ($3.6 million to support the next phase of the project).

The Northern Territory Government is investing $1.5 million annually to develop a DFSV Training and Resource Centre to strengthen capability of the DFSV workforce. The TRC will provide a centralised structure for developing, delivering, and coordinating locally relevant, sustainable, and accessible DFSV training to address the professional development needs of workers across the NT.

The Northern Territory Government has partnered with Charles Darwin University (CDU) to develop and deliver a new subject on supporting victim survivors of violence, aligned with the RAMF practice framework. The unit will be embedded in the existing Graduate Certificate of Safe Communities and will later be available as an elective in other degrees for frontline service providers. The investment of $0.9 million supports the co-design process for the qualification, as well as a new DFSV Research Network and Knowledge Repository. The initiatives, led by CDU’s Molly Wardaguga Institute, aim to strengthen workforce development, increase the use of evidence in policy and practice, and grow DFSV workforce capacity and capability. Lived experience and First Nations perspectives are foregrounded throughout the co-design and delivery. This is the first time there will be a higher education qualification in the NT in DFV.

The Tasmanian Government has established the Tasmanian Family and Sexual Violence Alliance as a new peak body for family and sexual violence sector. It aims to provide coordinated representation of the family and sexual violence sector across the continuum of primary prevention, early intervention, response, healing and recovery. The Alliance is a key stakeholder that will participate and contribute to broader workforce development discussions, including a national workforce strategy.

The Western Australian Government has provided funding for a new specialist training initiative that will help over 5,000 frontline professionals in the justice system better identify and respond to FDSV ($2 million). The Legal and Justice Sector First Responder Training Initiative is supporting first responders at the Department of Justice and Western Australian Police to receive targeted training to assist their role in supporting victim-survivors and holding perpetrators to account. In addition, dedicated funding has been committed to develop Aboriginal-led training about family violence and the unique experiences facing Aboriginal victim-survivors engaging with the justice system. The Western Australian Government is establishing a dedicated Family and Domestic Violence Workforce Entity to support organisations and workers to have the knowledge and skills required to respond to family and domestic violence.

Additionally, the Western Australian Government has supported Preventing Violence Together to develop ‘Foundations for Change’, a framework to guide primary prevention of violence against women, with a focus on building workforce capabilities to support evidence-based primary prevention programming and practice. It also delivers Safe and Together model training packages in metropolitan and regional Western Australia to further build specialist and mainstream workforce capability and capacity to identify and respond effectively to family and domestic violence.

Recommendation 15

The Commonwealth and state and territory governments should further expand and prioritise work on Action 6 in the First Action Plan (2023-2027) of the National Plan to recognise the full range of sexual violence including where it occurs apart from DFV particularly noting the recommendations from the forthcoming Australian Law Reform Commission inquiry into justice responses to sexual violence.

Update as at 28 November 2025

The Australian Law Reform Commission’s (ALRC) report Safe, Informed, Supported: Reforming Justice Responses to Sexual Violence was tabled in Parliament on 6 March 2025, making 64 recommendations. In response, the Australian Government has committed funding to improve victim and survivor engagement with the justice system and inform a broader response to the ALRC’s report ($21.4 million). These investments specifically focus on improving victim and survivor engagement with the justice system through measures like expanding trauma-informed legal services, piloting culturally safe Justice System Navigators, and exploring restorative justice pathways.

The Australian Capital Territory Government is investing in a two-year Sexual Assault Advocate Pilot Program that supports victim-survivors of sexual assault as they navigate the criminal justice system ($6.45 million). The program aims to improve experiences by assisting with police and prosecution engagement, and other wrap-around support.

In October 2025, the New South Wales Government opened its Sexual Violence Recovery and Healing Grant Program. The program provides $3 million to community-based initiatives that build the capacity of communities and services to strengthen recovery and healing supports for victim-survivors of sexual violence from NSW priority groups.

The Northern Territory Government launched the Sexual Violence Prevention and Response grant program In March 2025, investing $2.12 million over three years to fund projects aligned with the Northern Territory Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Framework (SVPRF). Three successful projects will deliver responses over the next 3 years through culturally grounded, community-led programs In Galiwinku, Wadeye and Darwin.

The South Australian Government launched a 10-week social media campaign in July 2025 to raise awareness of the various forms of sexual violence and promote greater understanding of consent and respect amongst young people. The South Australian Government is also investing in research being undertaken in partnership by Yarrow Place, the leading public health agency responding to rape and sexual assault in South Australia and the University of South Australia. The research project seeks to understand barriers to reporting and help-seeking for people who have experienced sexual violence, and has been extended to undertake further research on the experiences of First Nations people to inform culturally responsive and safe service delivery.

The Victorian Government is investing in preventing and responding to sexual violence. This includes providing $27 million for sexual assault support services, continuing the after-hours crisis line and specialist treatment services, and $7.4 million to deliver a Safe Socials Program aimed at promoting online safety and prevent the spread of harmful attitudes towards girls. The Victorian Government has also commenced co-design of a new Justice Navigator initiative to support victim-survivors to understand and exercise their rights and help them navigate the various support, compensation, recovery and justice options available to them.

The Western Australian Government is developing the state’s first Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Strategy to prevent and address the impacts of sexual violence. A Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Strategy Reference Group has been established to guide the development of the Strategy.