Unlocking the Prevention Potential: accelerating action to end domestic, family and sexual violence

Terms of reference

Overview

Violence against women and children remains a national crisis in Australia. While there has been significant action and investment towards ending gender-based violence, including through the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-2032 (the National Plan), the recent increase in rates of intimate partner homicide shows the need to continually identify gaps and opportunities to strengthen our current approach and accelerate efforts to stop violence against women.

On 1 May 2024, following a meeting of the National Cabinet, the Commonwealth announced it would undertake a rapid review of evidence-based approaches to prevent gender-based violence. This work will be led by a Panel of experts (the Panel). The Panel will provide practical advice to Government on further action to prevent gender-based violence, which builds on the considerable work underway under the National Plan. It will be co-convened by Australia’s Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commissioner (the Commissioner), Ms Micaela Cronin, the Executive Director of the Commonwealth Office for Women, Ms Padma Raman, and the Secretary of the Department of Social Services, Mr Ray Griggs AO CSC.

Scope

Drawing on existing evidence and best-practice approaches, the Panel’s work will address opportunities to strengthen prevention efforts and approaches across all forms of violence against women and children, including a particular focus on homicides. Prevention will be conceived broadly to include anything that contributes to reduced levels of gender-based violence. It will build on Australia’s current approaches to prevention and consider whether they need to be further adapted or refined.

The Commissioner and co-convenors will report to the Minister for Social Services and the Minister for Women on behalf of the Panel, with the focus areas of:

  • Targeted approaches to preventing violence, with a focus on identifying what works across the life cycle and for different groups of people. This includes:
    • prevention and early intervention for those most at risk of experiencing or perpetrating violence;
    • the most effective settings and approaches for preventing violence and intervening early; and
    • pathways and approaches specific to different types of violence.
  • Engaging with determinants, risk factors, pathways and intersecting factors for gender-based violence, including different and emerging forms of violence, and the role of key industries;
  • Whole of system opportunities for prevention and intervention, including stronger accountability and consequences for people who choose to use violence.
  • Opportunities to effect attitudinal change and accelerate progress to prevent violence against women and children, including at a local level. This could include consideration of place-based and saturation models.

In undertaking its work, the Panel will consider:

  • Opportunities to engage with men to support prevention, acknowledging that family, domestic and sexual violence is overwhelmingly perpetrated by men, against women.
  • New approaches that governments, the non-government sector and industry that can take to prevent gender-based violence in Australia.
  • The experiences and needs of different groups of people, including First Nations people, culturally and linguistically diverse people, people with disability and LGBTQIA+ people.
  • Developing practical and realistic recommendations for future effort over short, medium and longer-term time horizons.

The work will inform the Commonwealth’s report back to National Cabinet in the third quarter of 2024.

Stakeholder engagement

Throughout its work, the Panel will consult regularly with Our Watch, ANROWS, the National Women’s Alliances, states and territories, and other stakeholders they determine appropriate.

The Panel will also undertake targeted stakeholder consultations via a series of roundtables. Roundtables will include members of the National Plan Advisory Group, the First Nations National Plan Steering Committee, people with lived experience of violence, frontline services, and academics and data experts.

Membership

  • Dr Anne Summers AO
  • Dr Todd Fernando
  • Dr Leigh Gassner APM
  • Ms Elena Campbell
  • Ms Jess Hill
  • Dr Zac Seidler

Deliverables

The Panel will provide a final report to the Commonwealth Government, with specific and practical advice on the best approach(es) to strengthen prevention efforts across all forms of violence against women and children in Australia. This report will be delivered by 15 August 2024 to the Commonwealth Minister for Social Services and the Minister for Women. The final report will also be provided to the Prime Minister to inform the Commonwealth come back to National Cabinet ahead of its meeting in the third quarter of 2024.