Key Points
- The NSW government has announced a $230 million investment into domestic violence prevention and support.
- The package will cover bail law reform, homelessness prevention programs and greater support for victim-survivors.
- Domestic Violence NSW described the investment as a positive and substantial first step forward for the state.
“Domestic, family and sexual violence is preventable; we cannot accept the status quo,” Minns said in a statement.
“This funding announcement is an important step to doing better, to recognising that domestic violence supports need to be applied not just from a crisis response perspective, but with an eye to disrupting the cycle of domestic and family violence early and permanently.”
What will the investment cover?
Some $48 million will go to expanding the Staying Home Leaving Violence program, which helps prevent homelessness, as well as providing more case management support through the Integrated Domestic and Family Violence Services Program.
NSW Premier Chris Minns described domestic violence as a blight on the community when announcing the funding package. Source: AAP / Bianca De Marchi
The same amount will go towards funding more specialist support workers for children and $38 million will be spent on implementing the state’s first dedicated Primary Prevention Strategy to address the drivers of family violence.
More than $13 million will be spent on workforce training, expanding Domestic Violence NSW and funding research on perpetrators.
How has it been received?
“We are exceptionally pleased to see an injection of $48.2 million to continue specialist workers for children and young people which previously only had short-term funding and to expand the workers across more refuges,” she added.
Donovan said DVNSW was eager to continue working with the NSW government “to ensure that meaningful investment into the sector remains a priority and includes continued investment”.
What else has been called for?
While welcoming the NSW government’s announcement, the NGO has called for an additional $52 million each year for existing domestic and family violence refuges for victim-survivors, as well as the construction of an additional 7,500 social and affordable homes each year for 20 years.
“NSW needs a coordinated approach across multiple fronts to disrupt domestic violence – that is what this suite of funding initiatives is designed to achieve,” Attorney-General Mike Daley said.