Key Points
- The NSW government has announced a $230 million investment into domestic violence prevention and support.
- The package will cover bail law reform, homelessness prevention programs and greater support for victim-survivors.
- Domestic Violence NSW described the investment as a positive and substantial first step forward for the state.
The NSW government has announced a $230 million investment into domestic violence prevention and support, in a move that’s been welcomed by peak bodies and advocates.
The after NSW cabinet met last week to hear from experts in the field, and comes amid calls for a royal commission into Australia's domestic violence crisis, which the federal government has said it does not plan to establish.
When announcing the investment on Monday, NSW Premier Chris Minns described domestic violence as a blight on the community, and one that deserves a concerted response from the government.
"Domestic, family and sexual violence is preventable; we cannot accept the status quo," Minns said in a statement.
"This funding announcement is an important step to doing better, to recognising that domestic violence supports need to be applied not just from a crisis response perspective, but with an eye to disrupting the cycle of domestic and family violence early and permanently."
What will the investment cover?
The package will cover bail law reform, homelessness prevention programs and greater support for victim-survivors as key initiatives under a four-year funding plan.
More than $73 million will go towards reforming the NSW justice system to help victims, including $45 million set aside to improve bail laws and other systemic responses, to be detailed in the coming weeks.
Some $48 million will go to expanding the Staying Home Leaving Violence program, which helps prevent homelessness, as well as providing more case management support through the Integrated Domestic and Family Violence Services Program.
NSW Premier Chris Minns described domestic violence as a blight on the community when announcing the funding package. Source: AAP / Bianca De Marchi
More than $13 million will be spent on workforce training, expanding Domestic Violence NSW and funding research on perpetrators.
How has it been received?
Domestic Violence NSW (DVNSW) welcomed the government's investment announcement, describing it as a positive and substantial first step forward for the state.
"This is a comprehensive investment for the domestic and family violence sector. We're glad to see the NSW Government respond to our advocacy and recognise the critical need for investing in the sector to address the domestic and family violence emergency in our state," Delia Donovan, CEO of DVNSW, said in a statement.
"We are exceptionally pleased to see an injection of $48.2 million to continue specialist workers for children and young people which previously only had short-term funding and to expand the workers across more refuges," she added.
Donovan said DVNSW was eager to continue working with the NSW government "to ensure that meaningful investment into the sector remains a priority and includes continued investment".
What else has been called for?
DVNSW flagged investment in housing and homelessness services as a vital part of the emergency response to domestic and family violence.
While welcoming the NSW government's announcement, the NGO has called for an additional $52 million each year for existing domestic and family violence refuges for victim-survivors, as well as the construction of an additional 7,500 social and affordable homes each year for 20 years.
DVNSW further noted that 750 more transitional homes were immediately required to provide an exit pathway out of crisis refuges for women, children and young people.
The organisation said it eagerly awaits further budget announcements from the Minister for Housing and Homelessness, Rose Jackson.
Domestic and family violence is the leading cause of homelessness for women in Australia. A quarter of Australian women and one in eight men have been subjected to violence from a family member or partner since the age of 15, according to the NSW government.
"NSW needs a coordinated approach across multiple fronts to disrupt domestic violence – that is what this suite of funding initiatives is designed to achieve," Attorney-General Mike Daley said.
