Increasing funding for specialist family violence services would be worth six times the cost of investment, according to a new report released today by family violence peak body Safe and Equal. 

Economic modelling undertaken by Equity Economics has found that to meet current demand from victim survivors, specialist family violence services need $487 million in core funding per year, delivered in rolling five-year minimum funding commitments.  

This increase would enable all services to support more clients and provide existing clients with what they need, exactly when they need it. This investment would also give specialist services greater capacity to provide early intervention to help victim survivors before violence escalates further. 

“Victoria has a well-established and comprehensive family violence system, underpinned by significant reforms and investment as a result of the Royal Commission ten years ago,” said Safe and Equal CEO Dr Joumanah El-Matrah. 

“That investment has transformed the system and improved outcomes for thousands of victim survivors. But demand continues to outpace funding, leaving specialist services under increasing pressure and too many people waiting longer than they should to access critical, lifesaving supports.” 

In Victoria, rates of recorded family violence incidents continue to rise. According to Crime Statistics Agency data, there were 106,430 family violence incidents recorded by Victoria Police in 2024-25 – an 8 per cent increase from the previous year.  

“The modelling in this report only considers the people who are currently reaching out for support. It doesn’t factor in those who have not reported their abuse or reached out for help, which means the true level of service demand is likely much higher,” said Dr El-Matrah. 

Significantly, if demand for specialist family violence services were to be fully met in the next financial year, the sector would deliver $2.8 billion in benefits for the Victorian community. Most of these benefits would come from the reduction of long-term health burdens resulting from family violence within five years of services being accessed. 

“The social and economic benefits of proper investment in the specialist family violence sector cannot be understated,” said Ms El-Matrah. 

“We’re talking about significant improvements to people’s health and wellbeing, alongside long-term reductions in demand on health, justice and child protection systems. Every dollar invested in funding the family violence sector delivers an estimated six dollars in savings across these public services.”   

The report also highlights additional actions required to further reduce the cost burden of family violence, including addressing barriers in the police and justice system, investing in social housing and ensuring prevention and early intervention efforts are appropriately resourced.  

“Victim survivors should never have to wait for support in a crisis, and we cannot fund crisis response at the expense of preventing violence or supporting recovery,” said Ms El-Matrah. 

“Every part of the family violence system matters. Prevention, early intervention, crisis response and recovery must all be properly funded if we are serious about ending family and gender-based violence.” 

“This report sets out what’s needed. The next step is for the Victorian Government to act with the ambition and investment that the community expects and deserves.” 

Key findings from The Costs and Benefits of Fully Meeting Demand for Specialist Family Violence Services in Victoria: 

• Equity Economics estimate that each year in Victoria:
  About 3,750 victim survivors seeking help from specialist family violence services are unable to receive any support.
  A further 5,000 existing clients are unable to be provided with services they need (mainly accommodation services).
  About 85 per cent of clients seeking case management support wait to be assigned to a case manager, with an average wait time of 8.5 days. Clients assessed as being at lower risk levels wait the longest.
• Equity Economics estimate that fully meeting demand for specialist family violence services in Victoria would require government funding for the sector to increase to $487 million in 2026-27, a 62 per cent increase from the $300 million expected to be spent on the current funding trajectory.
• The benefits of fully meeting demand would far exceed the costs. If demand were to be fully met, the sector would deliver $2.8 billion in benefits for the Victorian community – equivalent to almost $80,000 per client, on average.
• The report also shows that the social and economic benefits for the community are six times more than the investment across health and wellbeing, workforce and social participation and long-term reductions in the use of government health, justice and child protection services. 

Read the full report, The Costs and Benefits of Fully Meeting Demand for Specialist Family Violence Services in Victoria here. 

About Safe and Equal 

Safe and Equal is the peak body for Victorian organisations that specialise in family and gender-based violence across the continuum, including primary prevention, early intervention, response and recovery.  

About Equity Economics 

Equity Economics is a leading consulting firm, providing analysis, policy development, design and evaluation services to government, private sector and non-government clients. 

Media contact

For media enquiries: media@safeandequal.org.au