STATEMENT: NATIONAL CABINET’S FDV PLAN: A POSITIVE STEP, BUT MORE FUNDING, MORE DETAIL & MORE URGENCY KEY TO KEEPING WOMEN & CHILDREN SAFE

6 September 2024

I welcome today’s National Cabinet announcement of new funding to tackle Australia’s gendered domestic and family violence crisis. It’s a positive step but more funding, more detail and an increased focus on ensuring a timely delivery will be key to keeping women and children safe.

While the $4.7 billion commitment seems significant, it is partly an extension of existing programs and falls short of what is ultimately needed. More is urgently required and given the funding won’t take effect until the next financial year, its effectiveness will rely on a timelier roll-out and delivery of services than previous announcements.

I’m pleased to see some additional support for frontline and community legal services coming next year but until the detail is provided it will be difficult to understand how effective this will be or how many organisations will benefit.

Additionally, it is good to see a commitment to implementing the recommendations from the Rapid Review of Prevention Approaches – including looking at better regulation of alcohol and gambling which have been known to fuel domestic and family violence. I will watch closely to see how this progresses and continue to push for policy reform in these areas.

I am also pleased to see a commitment to information sharing to help police, the courts and child protection agencies keep women and children safe.

However, the real test lies in the detail and implementation of these measures, and I await further information from the states and territories to see how they will roll this out and ensure accountability and transparency.

The speed and efficiency of delivery will be crucial in making a meaningful difference as we have seen issues with the roll out of key supports already committed, such as frontline service workers. More must be done to expediate these important commitments.  

While much has been promised and allocated, it is essential that this support reaches the women and children who urgently need it, without delay.