Domestic and Family Violence

The Challenge

Domestic violence-related assaults continue to rise, increasing by over 5% in the past two years.
Two in five women in Australia have experienced violence in their lifetime, and one in four have experienced violence by an intimate partner or family member.
Domestic and family violence continues to be a leading driver of homelessness. In NSW, impacted women and children make up almost half of all specialist homelessness service clients experiencing persistent homelessness.

$5.1B for social housing, including at least half of new homes prioritised for victim-survivors.
$245.6M for domestic and family violence support services, including:
- $48M to expand the Staying Home Leaving Violence Program to all 128 NSW council areas.
- $48.1M to expand specialist workers for children and young people in refuges.
- $45M to improve bail laws and justice system responses.
- $38.3M for NSW’s first Primary Prevention Strategy.
- $8.1M for the ‘All in’ early childhood pilot program to teach children about healthy relationships.
- $29.6M for the Women’s Domestic Violence Court Advocacy Service (including $5.6 million new funding to meet increased demand).
- $3.6M for Domestic Violence NSW.
- $10M for Men’s Behaviour Change Programs.

NCOSS celebrates the investments in social housing for victim-survivors and welcomes the expansion of the Staying Home Leaving Violence Program and more specialist workers for children and young people.
The focus on primary prevention and funding for Domestic Violence NSW and the Women’s Domestic Violence Court Advocacy Service to continue their important work is a positive step.
Significantly more funding – at least $100 million over 4 years – is required for primary prevention to address gendered violence at its root, as well as specific funding to address sexual violence.
NCOSS continues to call for additional baseline funding for the specialist domestic and family violence sector to address ongoing unmet need.