The Women and Women’s Safety Ministerial Council (Council) was convened virtually today, attended by:
- Senator the Hon Katy Gallagher (Commonwealth)
- The Hon Amanda Rishworth MP (Commonwealth)
- The Hon Justine Elliot MP (Commonwealth)
- The Hon Kate Thwaites MP (Commonwealth)
- The Hon Jodie Harrison MP (New South Wales)
- The Hon Katrine Hildyard MP (South Australia)
- The Hon Madeleine Ogilvie MP (Tasmania)
- Ms Vicki Ward MP (Victoria)
- The Hon Sabine Winton MLA (Western Australia)
The Hon Natalie Hutchins MP (Victoria), Ms Yvette Berry MLA (Australian Capital Territory), the Hon Sue Ellery MLC (Western Australia), the Hon Lia Finocchiaro MLA (Northern Territory), the Hon Yvette D’Ath MP (Queensland) and the Hon Shannon Fentiman MP (Queensland) sent their apologies. Minister Berry, Minister D’Ath, Minister Fentiman and Chief Minister Finocchiaro were represented by officials. Minister Hutchins was represented by their office.
The Commonwealth Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commissioner, Ms Micaela Cronin, attended the meeting in an ex-officio capacity.
National Cabinet meeting on gender-based violence
Ministers met to receive an update on the National Cabinet meeting held earlier today, Friday 6 September, to discuss the work tasked to them by National Cabinet to end gender-based violence.
Ministers noted the Council’s ongoing role in the coordination and delivery of cross-jurisdictional work in support of the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-2032 (National Plan).
Ministers discussed the decisions made by National Cabinet (Meeting of National Cabinet). Ministers noted that National Cabinet agreed for the Council to oversee the collective response to Unlocking the Prevention Potential: Accelerating action to end domestic, family and sexual violence. The Council will report back to National Cabinet on progress of this response by the end of 2025.
Ministers also noted that National Cabinet agreed for the Council to negotiate a National Partnership Agreement on Family, Domestic and Sexual Violence Responses, to commence on 1 July 2025. The National Partnership Agreement, jointly funded by all jurisdictions, will focus on nationally coordinated approaches to support activities through frontline services, including funding for:
- Specialist services for women.
- Services to support children exposed to family, domestic and sexual violence to heal and recover.
- Working with men, including men’s behaviour change programs for perpetrators of gendered violence.
Ministers recognised that the outcomes from National Cabinet are a significant opportunity to build on the critical and substantial work that has been done to date to deliver on the National Plan. Ministers emphasised that the Council has a vital and substantial role in coordinating ongoing cross-jurisdictional work and supporting National Cabinet to achieve the shared goal of ending gender-based violence within one generation.