With a backdrop of blue skies and birdsong, we were welcomed to Country by Djirri Djirri, Wurundjeri women’s dance group. Wurundjeri woman and Traditional Owner Mandy Nicholson shared with us four layers of Wurundjeri Country, from Below Country to Sky Country before the group shared several traditional dances.

Our first session was hosted by Aunty Stephanie Armstrong, a Gamilaraay-Bigambul woman and educator. Aunty Steph spoke about how storytelling is the way First Nations people connect, build relationships and create healing.

Three key take aways were:

1. The importance of being true to your values in the life you live, the work you do and the stories you tell. When you tell stories that align to your values, no one can pull you up.
2. Deep reflection will put you on the right path: consider what you want your life to stand for, and how you want to live in this world, knowing your time is limited.
3. We need humility to truly listen. Humility is the constant willingness to learn, respecting the courage of the stories women are sharing with you and acknowledging that there is a lot of work to do. Cultural humility means working together with First Nations women in a way that is culturally safe to them.

After morning tea, we heard Safe and Equal Board Chair Maria Dimopoulos in conversation with Wollithiga woman and Djirra Deputy CEO Antionette Gentile alongside Safe and Equal CEO Tania Farha. The discussion centred around how the non-Aboriginal family violence sector can partner with Aboriginal women in a way that reflects mutual benefit and upholds Aboriginal self-determination. Antoinette and Tania reflected on their personal experiences and learnings that have arisen from the partnership between Djirra and Safe and Equal.

Three key take aways were:

1. Antoinette highlighted how non-Aboriginal organisations often want to take from ACCOs. They constantly ask “Can you help us with this? Can you input into that?” but they need to actually walk with ACCOs on the journey.
2. Genuine partnerships take a long time to establish. People shouldn’t just come to Aboriginal people and organisations when they need something. Instead, they should start building a meaningful relationship early. Tania highlighted how when partnering with Djirra, Safe and Equal invested in establishing a dedicated role for someone from Safe and Equal’s team to listen, learn and coordinate this work from within Djirra. This put the onus on Safe and Equal to observe and learn, rather than the women at Djirra to teach.
3. Tania highlighted the importance for non-Aboriginal allies in the sector to lean into discomfort, be brave and learn from their mistakes. Unless you try you won’t learn – getting it wrong is how you learn and move forward.

After lunch and a wander through the Milarri Garden Trail, we reconvened with Skye Gooch, proud Aboriginal woman and Manager of Djirra’s Individual Support Service, and Louise Simms, Executive Director of Policy, Communications and Engagement at Safe and Equal. Skye and Louise reflected on the process of developing a sector Commitment to Action for non-Aboriginal family violence services.

Three key take aways were:

1. Upholding self-determination means giving Aboriginal people the right to choice and safety. They get to choose whether they seek support from an ACCO or non-Aboriginal service, but they should always receive a culturally safe response no matter which service they choose.
2. Moving at a pace of trust means to work alongside someone, building rapport, and not trying to rush towards milestones or deliverables. It’s not about just trying to tick a box – services must respond to the individual needs of victim survivors. ACCOs recognise that each family has different needs and that responses need to be tailored accordingly. This is something non-Aboriginal services need to strive for.
3. Non-Aboriginal services must remain accountable to First Nations people, communities and organisations in their work to strengthen cultural responsiveness. Only First Nations people can tell us if this work is effective.

Wurundjeri and Ngu rai Illum Wurrung woman and Deputy Chair of Yoorrook Justice Commission, Sue-Anne Hunter spoke to us about how Whiteness is invisibly and strategically embedded within the family violence sector, and our entire society. A tool of colonisation, used to justify and erase violence against non-white communities, Whiteness requires explicit and visible attention within efforts to address harm against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. You can read more in the paper Sue-Anne co-authored on Whiteness in social work here: The Maintenance of the Dominance of Whiteness in Australian Social Work.

Three key take aways were:

1. Whiteness is not a reference to skin tone alone; it is the norm, a set of unnamed cultural practices. It’s how White people can do and say what they please and get away with it. It’s how our systems are set up through a White lens, in ways that serve White people but aren’t culturally safe for Aboriginal people. It means First Nations people become an “other”. If we don’t tackle Whiteness, we leave White privilege untackled.
2. Sue-Anne spoke about common experiences faced by First Nations women including being labelled as the “angry Black woman”, being told to give “nicer” feedback, having “white tears” take the focus away from Aboriginal experiences, the silencing of Aboriginal voices and the constant ask for “trauma porn”.
3. Sue-Anne invited us to reflect and discuss at our tables the ways that our work upholds and reinforces Whiteness, and the ways that we could disrupt this in our work and communities. This was an uncomfortable and courageous conversation and one we must continue having as a sector.

We wrapped up our day with powerful discussions around each table, facilitated by Skye Gooch and Louise Simms. Guests explored key practices and insights from the day to determine ways we can collectively work that uphold self-determination, bring cultural humility, disrupt
Whiteness and move at the pace of trust.

Three key take aways were:

1. Non-Aboriginal services need to acknowledge that the systems and structures are racist. All practitioners are part of that system and must resist it, constantly. non-Aboriginal services must be disobedient in a way that shakes the system up. Workers are responsible to victim survivors, not the department.
2. Self-determination means being led by Aboriginal people, because they know how to take care of themselves. As service providers, we need to walk beside them, and respect that they are expert in their own lives. We are not here to dictate – we are here to listen and advocate. In the workplace, self-determination might be asking Aboriginal colleagues what programs and processes should look like or having local Aboriginal women in key positions in management and governance.
3. In recognising that each person and family has individual needs, non-Aboriginal organisations need to be flexible, creative and dynamic with their responses. ACCOs tailor their services to meet individual women’s and families’ needs, and support them on their journeys.

Before we departed to enjoy the rest of the sunny afternoon, Tania Farha shared her top take aways from the forum.

She highlighted the increasing recognition within non-Aboriginal organisations that more needs to be done, and an increasing desire to do better. She drew from her yarn with Antoinette to reiterate the importance of strong partnerships in ensuring non-Aboriginal organisations are culturally responsive. She called on non-Aboriginal leaders to address systemic racism and call it out.

The overarching message was that the sector is committed to action and story of change to support and uphold self-determination – standing beside Aboriginal people, bringing humility, disrupting Whiteness and moving at the pace of trust.

by Tania Farha, CEO, Safe and Equal

Before we discuss the effectiveness of different approaches to preventing and stopping violence, it’s important to note that the official statistics quoted are just the tip of the iceberg. For many years, the family violence-related deaths of women, particularly Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, have either not been recognised or counted consistently. The true numbers are much higher. There is also little recognition of injury and disability that is so often the result of this violence. These include acquired brain injury, early onset dementia, and substance abuse, some of which result from coercion or medication. Children are being subjected to years of suffering and trauma, affecting them for the rest of their lives and in some cases, perpetuating the cycle of violence as they become adults. The number of children killed and injured by perpetrators of family violence are also undercounted. The harm is endless, and often intergenerational.

So, what is the best way to stop this? As a peak body, Safe and Equal works across the continuum of family violence from primary prevention to early intervention, to response and recovery. We know these pillars do not operate in siloes and we must work across all areas at the same time. We work from the evidence base built over years of research from local and international experience and best practice. Unfortunately, there is no single best way to stop or prevent family violence. A comprehensive approach is the only way, starting at primary prevention, all the way through to recovery from violence. This comprehensive approach forms the basis of every United Nations resolution and outcome on violence against women and gender-based violence.

Primary prevention aims to stop this violence from happening in the first place. This means using the evidence base to address the drivers, including gendered drivers, that lead to individuals believing that the use of violence is okay. These attitudes and beliefs are reinforced by societal institutions and systems that support the perpetuation of violent behaviour against women and gender-diverse people. When it comes to gender-based violence, in almost every culture across the world, it is mainly men hurting women and children or those that don’t conform to the rigid gender stereotypes that define our societies. Gender remains a defining factor in this form of violence. This does not mean that there aren’t other things that influence these attitudes, beliefs and behaviours. Racism, homophobia, transphobia, agism and ablism amongst other forms of oppression, all impact and increase this experience of gender-based violence.

Violent behaviour is also exacerbated by other factors, including the excessive consumption of alcohol. We have also seen the rise of harmful online pornography and other factors. Whilst these other factors aren’t necessarily the key drivers behind violent behaviour, it is critical that we recognise and address them. In most cases, people don’t hurt or kill women, children or gender diverse people just because they’ve had too much to drink. The attitudes and beliefs that underlie gender-based violence are already entrenched in these people. The consequences of all these factors, however, can significantly impact the nature and severity of violence or perpetuate the attitudes and beliefs that underpin it, so it is important to look at ways to mitigate these impacts.

Just as there is more than one driver of violence against women and gender-based violence, there is more than one way to grapple with the drivers of that violence. The evidence base for primary prevention of violence against women, Change the Story, works across many of these issues and recognition of this is certainly embedded in community based and community led prevention programs. It recognises that we must work across government, organisations, and individuals. Working with workplaces, educational environments, and the places people socialise, is critical to changing social norms.

Primary prevention is vital if we are to build a society that is free of family and gender-based violence. But sadly, because we do not live in a violence free society, primary prevention alone is not enough. Social change of this magnitude takes a long time – and we know this because we have seen it happen with smoking and road safety. We know from these examples, however, that you must remain diligent and focused, or you can lose ground. These areas continue to receive heavy investment and yet we have seen the health impacts of vaping replace smoking, and road fatalities rise recently to the highest they have been for a while.

Primary prevention of gender-based violence does not receive the same amount of funding as these issues, particularly community led and grassroots based prevention programs. We need more investment to ensure we can continue our efforts to stop it from happening at all, but given we have to deal with the violence in the here and now, we also need more and better early intervention efforts. We need to identify the risks of violent behaviour as early as possible and prevent it from escalating. We need family and friends to recognise signs of family violence and know where their local services are. We need to give people the tools to have safe conversations with those they think are at risk and help them get the support they need. Many people are caught in a generational cycle of violence and do not know that they have the right to live free from this violence.

Universal services like health and education are accessed by almost everyone in Australia. Workers in these industries must be able to identify and refer people who appear to be at risk to appropriate support services. We need more extensive support for children experiencing family violence, not only to keep them safe, but to address the trauma of their experiences. This helps them to live healthy and fulfilling lives and plays a vital role in breaking the inter-generational cycle of violence, helping to ensure that they don’t become caught in this cycle. Supports for children and young people are not adequate and nor are they sustained. Often children receive short-term assistance with services which are not funded or resourced adequately to provide an ongoing response to any victim survivor.

We need more sustainable and holistic funding for the frontline specialist services that work with survivors of all ages. We need them to be funded for crisis, response and formal recovery support – this means support to rebuild survivors’ lives after violence with dignity, to reduce the risk of social isolation and poverty, and to ensure they are not at risk of future violence. Specialist family violence, sexual violence and legal frontline services, including those that are community led, are saving lives everyday – they can stop violence escalating and they can prevent death and further harm.

We need more effective perpetrator interventions. We need to better understand what is effective in engaging men and others using violence to change their behaviour. This work is both complex and nuanced – one approach does not suit all. We know that for many complex reasons, the justice system will not be the only solution for these individuals but where police and the justice system are appropriate, then they must be fair and trauma-informed for victim survivors. We need the family court to better understand the dynamics of family violence and place the safety of victim survivors and their children as the primary factor when making decisions in relation to separation – one of the most dangerous and high-risk times for victim survivors of family violence.

Which approach work best? All of them, everywhere and all the time. If we only focus on one thing, we will miss the opportunity to intervene at all points along the spectrum. This is not acceptable. We should stop trying to work out which is the more effective approach, because we know that they are all effective in different circumstances and contexts. We must work together to make sure all aspects are funded at a larger scale and supported by all levels of Government. This must be done in a consistent way across the country. Simultaneously, it should be done in a way that allows the opportunity for different community-led organisations to work within their communities to ensure the outcomes we are looking for are realised in a way that works for them. Everyone who works in this space – academics, practitioners, victim survivors, commentators and other experts, all have important things to say. Only through collective knowledge, collaboration and respectful discussions can we get where we need to, to stop this from happening. Nothing about this is simple or quick but it does require us to harness our collective knowledge, expertise and influence and to work together! At Safe and Equal, and we celebrate and invite collaboration.

The conference theme, “Messaging for a Movement,” underscored the central role of effective communication in shaping attitudes, behaviours, and societal norms.

Attendees were immersed in a range of panels and discussions, each offering unique insights into effective messaging. From broad public campaigns to targeted initiatives, and from community engagement to advocacy at all levels of government, the conversations illuminated the multifaceted nature of messaging for prevention.

The feedback from attendees echoed the resonance of these discussions. One participant remarked on the value of hearing from a truly diverse range of panellists, emphasising how common themes strengthened their understanding of effective messaging strategies. Another highlighted the positive, upbeat tone of the conference, appreciating the inclusion of often-overlooked voices from faith communities.

In an effort to share knowledge and to continue the conversation from PreventX 2024, below is a series of resources shared by speakers and facilitators during the conference. These materials provide an insight into the wealth of insights, strategies, and experiences shared and discussed throughout the event.

We have categorised resources based on the PreventX 2024 session topics: 

Cross-cutting Resources for Prevention and Values-Based Messaging 

• Change the Story by Our Watch 
• Changing the Landscape by Our Watch 
• Changing the Picture by Our Watch 
• Driving Change: Taking action against the drivers of family and gender-based violence by Safe and Equal 
• Pride in Prevention Messaging guide by Rainbow Health   
• The Common Cause Handbook by Common Cause 
• Passing the Message Stick by Common Cause, GetUp, Original Power and Australian Progress 
• Framing Gender Equality Message Guide by Common Cause and VicHealth 
• Conversations for Trans Justice: A guide for trans people, out loved ones, and allies by Trans Justice Project 
• Communicating for Connection: Values-based messaging for multicultural and faith-based communities by Multicultural Centre for Women’s Health and Safe and Equal 
• Values-Map and definition by Common Cause 

Campaigning for Change 

• Girls Can Boys Can by Tangentyere Women’s Safety Group 
• 16 Days of Activism Let’s Chat Gippsland by Gippsland Women’s Health 
• BIG Respect Gippsland by Gippsland Women’s Health 
• 16 Days of Activism Toolkit by Respect Victoria   
• Are You Safe at Home? by Safe and Equal 
• 16 Days of Activism to Prevent Violence Against Women with Disabilities 2022 poster resources by Women’s Health East: 
  • Design 1 – Poster Artwork 
  • Design 2 – 16 Days Promotional Poster 

Managing Resistance and Backlash 

• Overcoming Resistance and Backlash: A guide for primary prevention practitioners by Safe and Equal 
• Speaking publicly about preventing men’s violence against women: Curly questions and language considerations by Women’s Health West   
• Challenging myths about culture and violence in migrant and refugee communities by Multicultural Centre for Women’s Health 

Ethical Storytelling with Victim Survivors 

• Experts by Experience Framework by Safe and Equal 
• Family Violence Lived Experience Strategy by Victoria Government 
• Going to court – how to plan for your day (family violence) video by Victoria Legal Aid 
• Lived experience showcase by Victorian Government 
• Strong Foundations: Building on Victoria’s work to end family violence by Victorian Government 
• Statement from Victim Survivors’ Advisory Council by Victim Survivors Advisory Council 
• The National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-2023 by Department of Social Services, Australian Government 
• Survivor Statement by Independent Collective of Survivors (ICOS) 

Working with Communities in Primary Prevention 

• Improving our approach to community-led prevention: Lessons from the Connecting Communities program by Multicultural Centre for Women’s Health and Safe and Equal 
• Asking The Experts A guide to best practice co-design and consultation with women with disabilities by Women’s Health East 
• Equality for All program information by Women’s Health Grampians 
• Small change, big impact by Women’s Health Services Network 
• Transfemme by Zoe Belle Gender Collective 
• Gender, Euphoria and Sex: A resource exploring gender, sex and consent for trans and gender diverse people by Zoe Belle Gender Collective 

Messaging Across Social Justice Movements 

• Cultures of Violence by Nicole Lee (published by Queen Vic Women’s Centre) 
• Anti-trans disinformation is rife in Australia — and it’s being spread by a small group of organisations by Jackie Turner (published on Crikey)   
• Say it Loud by ACON 
• Fuelling Hate: Abuse, Harassment, Vilification and Violence against Trans People in Australia by Trans Justice Project and Victorian Pride Lobby 
• Talking Justice: A guide for community legal centres by Community Legal Centres NSW 
• Key Messages Guidance – Supporting Young People to Understand Affirmative Consent Program by Safe and Equal 
• Legitimate Sexpectations by Katrina Marson 
• Why consent education isn’t enough video by Katrina Marson 

Primary Prevention Across Settings  

• Local Government Guide for Preventing Family Violence and All Forms of Violence Against Women by Victorian Government and Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) 
• Prevention toolkit for local government by Our Watch 
• Summarising the Evidence: Exploring what we know about drivers of violence against women, family violence and other forms of gendered violence by Respect Victoria 
• Leading the change: promoting gender equality by Yarra Ranges, Maroondah and Knox Councils 
• Equality in Action in Our Club by Maroondah Council 
• Guidelines for Preventing Violence Against Women—Taking Action Through Community Sport by Victorian Government   

Financial Safety 

• Designed to Disrupt: Reimagining banking products to improve financial safety by Centre for Women’s Economic Safety 
• Action on Financial Abuse and Banking: a 12-month Snapshot by Centre for Women’s Economic Safety 
• Women and Money website 
• Designed to Disrupt: Reimagining banking products to improve financial safety by Centre for Women’s Economic Safety (CWES) 
• Action on Financial Abuse and Safety by Centre for Women’s Economic Safety (CWES) 
• Researching the economic dimensions of domestic and family violence: Information gaps and data strategies by ANROWS 

I’d like to welcome you all here tonight on behalf of Safe and Equal. We hope that you enjoyed the last two days of the PreventX conference. We’re really pleased to be able to present this in-person event as part of the conference.

We’re here tonight to hear some wonderful pitches from practitioners about the next big things in primary prevention. But just to warm up the stage, I wanted to start by giving my own three-minute pitch – about why working in prevention is something that more people should do.

So, here goes:

Are you passionate about changing the world?

Do you want to end family and gender-based violence?

Well – imagine getting paid to do all that!

You’ll get to work with some amazing people, who are committed to social change, just like you. And we’re a bunch who really like interaction, and lots of it – conferences, events, networking, meetings – actually, maybe a few too many meetings.

Anyway, it’s a good thing – because we’re up and out there all the time, changing minds and changing systems that enable violence. You can join the Partners in Prevention network, and a bunch of others like the MAV network and regional women’s health partnerships. So really, you’ll never feel alone – and you won’t be able to escape a community of practice, even if you try.

I’m not going to kid you – it’s not always an easy job. You’ll end up in rooms where you hear attitudes and opinions that make you wither on the inside. You’ll be told that we’re all equal now, so why do women keep complaining? You’ll be told men have it so hard these days, because they have to worry about consent.

Your difficult job is to be curious and delve further to see if you can shift those ideas.

Sometimes, you have to give up and move on. But so often you’ll see the attitudes shift as people realise that there’s a different and better way to look at things. And don’t worry – we’ll arm you with lots of cool statistics, messaging strategies, and a few handy legal and regulatory frameworks. Plus, we have this really great national framework called Change the Story, and a bunch of evidence-based frameworks specifically for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, women living with disability, LGBTIQ+ communities, and refugee and migrant communities. And we’ll word you up on all the technical bits – like drivers and socio-ecological models and stuff like that.

It might seem a bit complicated – but don’t be phased. Upstream drivers are really simple: you change ideas and you change society so that violence is no longer a choice. It takes a long time, but you get to see change every day, in small ways – and that’s the best bit.

There are so many choices about where you can do this work. There’s schools, councils, workplaces, universities and TAFEs. There’s family violence services, sexual violence services, women’s health services, sexual health services, community services, and many more. We’re all across the state and the country – not just metro – and we work with and for a range of communities. You can be a trainer, policy officer, group facilitator, network convenor, project manager, and so many more.

Many of us describe ending up in prevention as ‘an accident’, so you won’t be out of place. We come from lots of different backgrounds: public health and health promotion, international development, communications, political science, even some theatre and fine art majors (you’ll be able to pick those ones). Also, it’s a growth industry. More and more people are choosing prevention.

So get into it, and give it a go!

We know that women’s access to financial independence, jobs and education are vital to escaping family and gender-based violence, and rebuilding their lives.

We also know women are more likely to be safe if their independence and control over decision-making is valued and supported.

Our work is part of a global movement to ensure that everyone is safe – in their homes, on the streets, and in all aspects of their lives. We stand with all women – including women living in contexts of war and disaster, and First Nations women who continue to face racism and marginalisation as the result of ongoing colonisation.

This International Women’s Day, we will continue our efforts to contribute a world without family and gender-based violence for all women.

This article was published in Council to Homeless Persons’ Parity: “Poverty and Homelessness” October 2023 Edition.

Authors: Tania Farha, CEO, Safe and Equal

Key contributors: Ella Longhurst, Policy and Research Officer; Kim Hay, Policy Advisor; and Melanie Scammell, Media and Communications Advisor.

However, when it comes to improvements in recovery initiatives – specifically, economic well-being and housing for victim survivors – we still have a long way to go. 

Financial security and safe, accessible housing are two of the most critical pillars in the journey to recovery from family violence. Without them, victim survivors often find themselves trapped, unable to safely escape their perpetrator and rebuild their lives without risking poverty and homelessness. 

These experiences of family violence, poverty and homelessness are inextricably linked and cyclical, impacting a victim survivor in multiple, overlapping ways.  

For many victim survivors, economic abuse features prominently in their lives. Its prevalence is high, with some research suggesting it occurs in some form in around 50 to 90 per cent of cases. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ 2022 Personal Safety Survey1, one in six Australian women (around 1.6 million) have experienced economic abuse by a partner. This can include things like denying access to household funds, stopping a victim survivor from earning their own money, or controlling all spending and financial decisions. 

The impact of economic abuse on a victim survivor’s financial security and independence is significant and can impact them in a myriad of ways, even after separating from the perpetrator. I’ve seen many cases where a perpetrator has incurred enormous debts in a victim survivors’ name, hidden assets, or weaponised court systems to keep their victim in debt or in poverty. The impacts of this economic and systems abuse can be extreme and are not just economic – they can also impact Family Court proceedings or custody arrangements, further traumatising a victim survivor and her children. 

These tactics are so successfully weaponised by perpetrators because they keep a victim survivor in a constant state of economic distress and fear, and with no money and nowhere else to go, forces them to be financially dependent on and unable to safely leave their perpetrator. 

Financial and economic abuse thrives because of the significant economic inequity that exists more broadly for women. Rigid gender stereotypes that prioritise cis-male privilege and authority are designed to keep women and other marginalised groups in entrenched and inescapable poverty. Women continue to remain disproportionately in lower-paid occupations, and in part-time or casual work.2 They also experience significant pay discrimination, being paid less on average for the same full-time roles across every industry and occupation in Australia.3  

Concerningly, 30 per cent of retired women have no personal income, compared to 7 per cent of men.4 As a result, older single women are now the fastest growing cohort of people experiencing homelessness,5 many of whom are victim survivors of family violence. 

Unfortunately, for people who experience additional forms of structural oppression due to race, disability, age, sexuality, or socio-economic status, the risk of poverty and homelessness is even higher. The risk further increases for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, who are further disadvantaged by ongoing institutional and systemic racism and discrimination. 

The ability to achieve financial equality is an essential component of any individual’s economic wellbeing and independence, and, for victim survivors, is crucial in enabling a safe exit and long-term recovery from abuse. A key part of this is having access to safe and affordable housing options.  

However, the current state of housing in Australia is putting even more strain on people experiencing family violence, with a critical lack of suitable housing and crisis accommodation available. This is well known by our state and federal governments yet has reached crisis levels, with family violence now the leading cause of homelessness for women and children in Australia.6 

In Victoria, our dedicated refuge system can only support around 160 households, meaning hundreds of victim survivors, including children, end up being placed in unsafe and unsuitable motel accommodation, many for weeks at a time. I recall a specialist family violence service deeply concerned about a victim survivor they were supporting who had been placed in unsafe motel accommodation with her children for more than 50 days. While the service was doing everything they could to support their client, without a place to call home, there was little hope of moving beyond crisis interventions and into recovery.  

Beyond refuge and crisis accommodation, Australians across the board are feeling the impacts of a deeply unsustainable housing system – and these issues are exacerbated for people experiencing family violence. With private rental properties prohibitively expensive and a social housing system buckling under significant demand and long wait times (despite family violence being a factor for prioritisation), there is little to no access for victim survivors. This leaves many with an impossible choice: do they remain in an abusive home, or do they escape and face homelessness?  

Additionally, even if a victim survivor is supported to remain in their own home, the absence of affordable housing options can mean their perpetrator is unable to find suitable accommodation, making them more likely to attempt to return and perpetrate abuse. 

Without immediate government action and investment into bolstering the systems and structures that are meant to support victim survivors to escape abuse, develop economic freedom and recover from violence, these cycles will never be broken. 

This is not new information – our sectors have been fiercely advocating for these changes for decades. While there have been wins, we are yet to see the bold and brave long-term initiatives and investment to make meaningful and lasting change.  

What is needed? Firstly, we need to address the ongoing housing crisis in this country. We need an immediate increase to crisis accommodation capacity, mandates to support victim survivors to access affordable private rentals, ongoing investment into initiatives that enable and support victim survivors to remain safe in their homes (and housing options for perpetrators of violence), and significant investment in and prioritisation of the development of more social housing properties. 

We also need an immediate overhaul of our social security system to ensure it is respectful, accessible and inclusive. This means increasing social security payments beyond the poverty line with a particular focus on parenting payments for single mothers and those on job seeker, eliminating cruel and punitive compliance and mutual obligation measures for victim survivors, and eliminating additional barriers to accessing financial support for women on temporary visas, who are ineligible for many existing income and housing support initiatives.  

Finally, we need substantive structural change to disrupt the gender pay gap and workforce inequality, including increased wages for female dominated industries, and initiatives to support victim survivors to find meaningful and long-term employment. 

Every victim survivor deserves the right to live a life free from violence. To have that chance, they must be supported to reach economic independence, financial security, and have access to safe, long-term housing options. Otherwise, many will be forced to remain in unsafe and potentially fatal relationships to avoid a lifetime cycle of poverty and homelessness.