*Content warning. Information on this page may be triggering to some readers. If you need support, please call 1800 Respect National Helpline: 1800 737 732 or Lifeline (24 hours): 131 114
Gender-based violence is a critical national issue in Australia and occurs across all, demographic and age groups. While nobody is immune to the risk, there are some social, economic and personal factors that can increase a person's risk.
First Nations people, people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities, LGTBQIA+ people and people with disability who experience gender-based violence can face complex challenges where gender inequality overlaps with other disadvantage or prejudice.
Responding to gender-based violence requires a range of measures from education and prevention to frontline services. Financial and legal assistance to support survivor recovery is also necessary.
The National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-32
The National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-32 (National Plan) was released on 17 October 2022 by the Minister for Social Services, the Hon Amanda Rishworth MP.
The National Plan sets out a national framework and whole-of-government approach for ending gender-based violence. It provides the foundation for a whole-of-society approach to end gender-based violence in one generation. It also sets the government’s direction for the next 10 years.
The National Plan will guide actions on prevention, early intervention, response and recovery to help break the cycle of violence and support victim-survivors, including through the family law system. Governments at all levels are working together to increase coordination of policy responses, build our evidence and data collecting capabilities, and improve integration of systems and services
The National Plan is the culmination of over two years of extensive consultation with:
- victim-survivors
- advocacy groups
- frontline services
- family, domestic and sexual violence organisations
- research and data experts and the public.
On 16 August 2023, the Government released the First Action Plan 2023-2027 and dedicated Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Action Plan 2023-2025, which outline the actions by all Australian Governments to implement the National Plan. The dedicated Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Action Plan outlines actions to address the disproportionally high rates of family, domestic and sexual violence experienced by First Nations women and children. The Outcomes Framework 2023-2032 was released alongside the Action Plans to increase our ability to monitor and report change over the life of the National Plan.
The voices of victim-survivors have been at the centre of the development of the National Plan. The government will continue to listen to them and learn from their experiences to support the ongoing implementation of the National Plan.
The Government is also committed to delivering a future standalone First Nations National Plan for Family Safety (First Nations National Plan). Led by First Nations people, the First Nations National Plan will be a significant undertaking to address the complex and sensitive factors driving violence against First Nations women, children and communities.
For more information on the National Plan, see the Department of Social Services.
Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commission
The Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commission (the Commission) was established as Executive Agency on 1 July 2022. The Commission will function as a national body to improve the coordination of policy and services to help people experiencing family, domestic and sexual violence access support.
The Commission will:
- provide leadership and consistency in policy, service and support
- combine available data and evidence to provide best practice advice
- promote national coordination of policies and system interactions
- act as an independent, accountable and transparent agency
- amplify the voice of victims and survivors
For more information on the Commission, see the Domestic Family and Sexual Violence Commission.
Statistics
- 1 woman is killed by a current or former partner every 14 days
Source: Bricknell, S. 2023.Homicide in Australia 2021-21. Statistical Report no. 42. Australian Institute of Criminology. - Approximately 1 in 4 women (23%) have experienced physical and/or sexual violence by a current or former intimate partner since age 15
Source: ABS 2021-22 Personal Safety Survey - 53% of women and 25% of men have experienced sexual harassment in their lifetime
Source: ABS 2016, Personal Safety Survey. - An estimated 1.7 million Australian adults experienced sexual harassment in 2021-22, including 1.3 million women and 426,800 men. Women were more likely to experience harassment by a male (1.2 million women) than by a female (250,400 women)
Source: ABS 2021-22 Personal Safety Survey - In 2020-21, First Nations women aged 15 and over were 33 times more likely to be hospitalised for family and domestic violence than other Australian women
Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2022. Family, domestic and sexual violence data in Australia. Hospitalisations for family and domestic violence (aihw.gov.au) – pg. 50. - Between July 2010 - June 2018, there were 311 instances of intimate partner violence (IPV) homicide in Australia. 77.2% of all cases involved a male IPV homicide offender killing a current or former female partner; 20.9% of cases involved female IPV homicide offender killing a current or former male partner, though in 70.8% of these cases the woman was also the primary domestic violence victim
Source: ANROWS 2022, Intimate partner violence homicides 2010-2018 - A survey of 15,000 Australian women in May 2020 found 4.6% of women reported experiencing physical or sexual violence from a current or former cohabitating partner in the three months prior to the survey. Two-thirds of these women said the violence had started or escalated in the three months prior to the survey, and 51.6% of women reported experiencing both coercive control and physical or sexual violence
Source: Australian Institute of Criminology 2020, The prevalence of domestic violence among women during the COVID-19 pandemic. - The estimated total cost of violence against women and their children in Australia was $22 billion in 2015-16, with the under representation of violence against vulnerable women estimated to cost an extra $4 billion
Source: KPMG 2016, The cost of violence against women and their children in Australia
Support services
- 1800RESPECT is a national sexual assault, domestic and family violence counselling and information referral service, available 24 hours a day.
If you or someone you know has experienced, or is at risk of, family and domestic violence and/or sexual assault, you can contact 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732. - 13YARN is a national crisis support line for mob who are feeling overwhelmed or having difficulty coping. They offer a confidential one-on-one yarning opportunity with a Lifeline-trained Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Crisis Supporter, they can be contacted 24/7 on 13 92 76.
- Mensline Australia is a telephone and online counselling service offering support for Australian men anywhere, anytime.
- Kids Helpline is a free, confidential online and phone counselling service available 24/7 for young people aged 5 to 25. They can be contacted on 1800 551 880.
- Report online harm – if you are experiencing abuse, cyber bullying or other harms on digital platforms, you can report it to the Office of the eSafety Commissioner.
- Lifeline provides 24-hour short-term crisis support and suicide prevention. They provide confidential one-on-one support with a trained crisis supporter, they can be contacted 24/7 on 13 11 14.
- Our Watch is a national leader in the primary prevention of violence against women and their children in Australia. Our Watch works to embed gender equality and prevent violence where Australians live, learn, work and socialise. Visit their site for more information, tools and resources.
- National Debt Helpline – If you are struggling with your finances, the National Debt Helpline offers free advice from trained financial counsellors. The Helpline can also put you in touch with the right service you require, such as legal services, crisis food and accommodation services, and health services.
- If you need an interpreter, call the free and confidential Translating and interpreting Service on 131 450.
Support resources
- Guide to Prevention and Action on Financial Abuse within the Financial Service Sector - A free resource, supported and released by the Office for Women, to assist the financial services sector and related sectors, to better understand how their financial products may be used in the financial abuse of women. The Guide was developed in consultation with women who have lived experience of financial abuse.
- National Education Toolkit for Female Genital Mutilation and Cutting Awareness. – Produced by The Multicultural Centre for Women’s Health, this toolkit aims to support community awareness and outreach. For more information about the practice and legal frameworks in Australia, also see Female Genital Mutilation or Cutting.
- Help is Here provides information on support services available to anyone affected by domestic and family violence, to help them access the support they need, when they need it. This includes a full list of Australia wide and state and territory support services.