27 August 2024
Last week saw the release of
- the Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commission’s first Yearly Report to Parliament, followed rapidly by
- the final report from the expert panel appointed to undertake a rapid review of evidence-based approaches to prevent gender-based violence Unlocking the Prevention Potential: accelerating action to end domestic, family and sexual violence.
Wesnet welcomes both reports and the sustained focus by government of the issues of family, domestic and sexual violence.
It is critical that the report findings drive further actions under the National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children. The National Plan was based on extensive consultations and strongly endorses an evidence-based approach to prevention, intervention, response and recovery, including through existing vehicles such as the important work undertaken by Our Watch.
However, as the Commissioner made clear at her launch, support systems are at breaking point. As Wesnet CEO Karen Bentley has noted repeatedly, “One thing that remains absolutely clear is that we need more resourcing on the frontline in specialist services to help women escape violence and keep them safe. While gender inequality is the root cause – and this must be addressed over time – women’s specialist services can and do stop women being hurt and killed today.
“It is good to see both reports echo what many in our sector have been calling for.”
Together as part of the newly named National Alliance of DFV Specialist Services, Wesnet has joined the call to fund the frontline. The call includes:
- A long-term National Partnership Agreement between state and federal governments to ensure ongoing and sustainable funding for all specialist family violence services across the country, with special consideration given to those with high demand in rural, regional, and remote areas.
- Substantial investment in frontline specialist sexual assault services to meet increasing demand and allow diversification of programs, including working with schools and other local organisations to address and respond to sexual violence.
- A comprehensive National Workforce Strategy (including a robust First Nations Workforce Strategy) that ensures strong and sustainable specialist domestic and family violence and sexual assault sectors nationwide, including in regional and remote areas. The strategy would recognise the separate requirements of each sector, consistently build sector skills and capabilities, address remuneration, enhance professional development, and support workforce health and wellbeing.
- Increased input from specialist domestic and family violence experts to the National Partnership Agreements on housing and homelessness and the forthcoming National Housing and Homelessness Plan, to reflect the reality that women and children escaping violence comprise the majority of people seeking housing and homelessness support across Australia.
- Stronger investment in First Nations specialist domestic, family and sexual violence services to support community-led responses to violence against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and children, who are disproportionately impacted by domestic, family and sexual violence.
- Additional investment from State and Commonwealth Governments in the specialist legal assistance sector for women affected by gender-based violence, to respond to the increasing demand for assistance. This includes a dedicated funding stream for women’s legal services in the longer term, to respond to gender-based violence as part of the National Legal Assistance Partnership.
You can read more about the call in the Fund the Frontline campaign here.
Funding the Frontline Statement