Federal, state and territory governments have released a joint strategy aimed at ending violence against women and children over the next 10 years.
The National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-2032 was launched on Monday, October 17 by Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth.
According to the Department of Social Services [DSS], the plan highlights a whole-of-society approach to achieving a shared vision of ending gender-based violence “in one generation”.
“The National Plan outlines what needs to happen to achieve the vision of ending violence in one generation,” DSS said.
“This includes building the workforce and strengthening data collection systems. It also includes increasing accountability for people who choose to use violence, and providing person-centred and holistic responses to support victim-survivors through their recovery and healing.”
The plan will be implemented across four domains: prevention, early intervention, response, and recovery and healing.
Monash University Gender and Family Violence Prevention Centre director Professor Kate Fitz-Gibbon described the plan as “world leading”.
“This National Plan represents a decade long commitment that Australian governments have made to supporting the recovery of victim-survivors of domestic, family and sexual violence… It sets the ambition to create a whole of system response that not only supports victim-survivors to survive but to thrive beyond their experience of violence,” she said.
“Domestic, family and sexual violence is a national crisis in Australia. This National Plan represents the outcome of significant consultation and advocacy nationally and sets an ambitious framework for the elimination of all forms of gender-based violence.
“Now is the time to translate these commitments into meaningful actions.”
Professor Fitz-Gibbon said victim-survivor voices had been embedded in the plan’s development, and it was vital this continued.
“It is essential that the commitment to valuing the expertise of lived experience continues over the life of the Plan,” she said.
Details: www.dss.gov.au/ending-violence
