Commonwealth investments to prevent and respond to gender-based violence

The Hon Mark Dreyfus KC MP
Media Release

Minister for Finance
Minister for Women
Minister for the Public Service
Senator The Hon Katy Gallagher

Minister for Social Services
The Hon Amanda Rishworth MP

Attorney-General
Cabinet Secretary
The Hon Mark Dreyfus KC MP

Assistant Minister for Indigenous Australians
Senator the Hon Malarndirri McCarthy

Joint media release

The Albanese Government will commit $4.4 billion in new funding to address the scourge of gender-based violence and respond to the Rapid Review into Prevention Approaches, including through investing in frontline services and initiatives to prevent violence.

Ending violence against women and children has been a priority for the Albanese Government since coming to Government and we have already invested over $3.4 billion in initiatives to support the National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children 2022-32. This is on top of billions the Albanese Government has committed for housing and support for single parents that we know will be of particular importance for women and children escaping violence, including a $1.0 billion commitment through the National Housing Infrastructure Facility for housing for women and children impacted by violence and for young people.

In May this year, the Prime Minister convened a National Cabinet on gender-based violence. All jurisdictions agreed to take steps to identify gaps and act with urgency.

The Commonwealth Government subsequently commissioned a Rapid Review into Prevention Approaches, with recommendations from that review informing this investment as well as the work of all Governments. 

Today’s announcement builds on our significant investments to date with a comprehensive package in response to the unacceptable and unrelenting rates of gender-based violence we see in this country. 

As part of the National Cabinet, the Commonwealth will invest: 

  • $3.9 billion in support for frontline legal assistance services to be delivered through a new National Access to Justice Partnership with the states and territories, to address the funding cliff left by the former Government. This will provide a critical uplift of almost $800 million in funding over five years from 2025-26 to the legal assistance sector, with a focus on legal services responding to gender-based violence, including First Nations-specific services. This includes indexation and funding to support pay parity.
  • $351 million over five years from 2025-26 for funding under a renewed, five-year National Partnership Agreement on Family, Domestic and Sexual Violence Responses frontline services, to be matched by states and territories. 
  • $169 million in targeted initiatives to support the National Plan and address gender-based violence:
    • The Commonwealth will invest $85 million in response to recommendations by Data and Digital Ministers, Attorneys-General and Police Ministers following the last National Cabinet, who identified key options for responding to high-risk perpetrators to prevent homicide and keep women safe. This includes funding for trials of innovative models to prevent intimate partner violence and homicide. Governments will work closely with First Nations communities to make sure we get the strengthened focus on perpetrators right for all communities.
    • To help break the cycle of violence, the Commonwealth will start comprehensive work with sector experts to identify gaps in supports for children and young people who have experienced or witnessed FDSV, to inform the design and implementation of new and revised initiatives and interventions. This work will include a specific focus on First Nations children and young people through culturally safe consultation and expertise
    • While this comprehensive work is underway, the Commonwealth will provide an $80 million boost to enhance and expand child-centric trauma-informed supports for children and young people. This will include specific focus on First Nations children and young people and prioritise the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community-Controlled Sector, in line with Closing the Gap.
    • The Commonwealth will also lead work to establish national standards for men’s behaviour change.
    • To stamp out opportunities for systems abuse, the Government will immediately commence an audit of key Commonwealth government systems to identify areas where they are being weaponised by perpetrators of family and domestic violence. The audit will include the child support, social security and tax systems and will leverage existing reviews underway that seek to strengthen these systems.

We know the job is not done and there is more work to do.

Today’s actions go towards to addressing the issues raised in the recent Senate Inquiry into Missing and Murdered First Nations Women. The Commonwealth is giving serious consideration to the recommendations of the Senate Inquiry, including through the development of the standalone First Nations National Plan for Family Safety.

The Albanese Government will continue to provide national leadership on this important issue. National Cabinet agreed that gender-based violence will continue as a national priority. The Women and Women’s Safety Ministerial Council has been tasked to support this work and will provide support on the monitoring and implementation of these initiatives and the National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children 2022-32.