Recommendation 155

Women and children in Australia have the right to feel safe and live without fear of violence.

Australia's National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children 2010-2022 (National Plan) recognises that women with disability experience higher levels of domestic violence, family violence and sexual assault than other women and that violence is likely to be more severe and continue for longer periods. 

Under the National Plan federal, state and territory governments are working together to better identify, support and respond to women with disability experiencing, or at risk of, domestic, family and sexual violence.

In October 2016, the Australian Government launched the Third Action Plan of the National Plan. The Third Action Plan is supported by a $100 million investment that builds on the $100 million Women's Safety Package (WSP) announced in September 2015. This investment is in addition to funding of $25 million a year that underpins the 12 year National Plan.

One of the key priorities under the Third Action Plan is keeping perpetrators accountable across all systems, through the implementation of the National Outcome Standards for Perpetrator Interventions and trials of perpetrator intervention programs

The WSP provided funding for the Australian Government to collaborate with state and territory governments to trial innovative technology that could keep women safe and hold perpetrators to account. For more information about these trials, visit: Council on Federal Financial Relations.

Initiatives under the Third Action Plan which address women with disability include:

• $2.058 million for 1800RESPECT Disability Pathway Project, to develop integrated, responsive and more accessible services for women with disabilities.
• $0.7 million for 1800RESPECT research to explore viability of online video counselling providing safe and relevant services for women in regional and remote areas and women with disabilities.
• $1.5 million to Lifeline for DV-Alert, to develop and deliver free, accredited and nationally available domestic and family violence training specifically for the disability sector.

Under the Third Action Plan the Australian Government is also working to build the evidence-base on diverse experiences of violence. For example, the Government funded Australia's National Research Organisation for Women's Safety to deliver a state of knowledge paper 'Invisible women, invisible violence: understating and improving data on the experience of domestic and family violence and sexual assault for diverse groups of women" (December 2016).

Further, Australian Governments have agreed to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) Quality and Safeguards Commission to enact the Government's responsibilities under the NDIS Framework and provide a nationally consistent approach to implementation, including responding to complaints and reportable incidents, worker screening and the use of restrictive practices.

The Australian Government will continue to implement measures to support women and girls with disabilities, those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and Indigenous women.

The Australian Government is working alongside state and territory governments and the community sector on the National Framework for Protecting Australia's Children 2009‑2020. The framework is a long term national approach to ensuring the safety and well-being of Australia's children and aims to deliver a substantial and sustained reduction in levels of child abuse and neglect over time.

The National Office for Child Safety (the Office) was established on 1 July 2018 within the Australian Government Department of Social Services. The establishment of the Office demonstrates the Government's leadership and commitment to national reform to prevent future abuse and builds on existing measures such as the National Redress Scheme and the National Framework for Protecting Australia's Children 2009-2020. The Office will provide national leadership in the development and implementation of national policies and strategies to enhance children's safety, with a particular focus on the prevention of child sexual abuse, and reduce future harm to children.  

The Office will have a national leadership role, working across governments and sectors, in the development and implementation of policies and strategies to enhance children's safety and reduce future harm to children. Work will focus on recommendations from the Royal Commission requiring multi-level government and sector responses, including agencies responsible for community services, home affairs, education, health, communications and arts, and justice. The Office works in partnership with governments, sectors, community and children and young people in developing and implementing its strategies.

Initiatives led by the Office will include specific consideration of the needs of a range of cohorts including children with disability.

The Office will lead or provide input to a range of key initiatives:

• implementation of the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations, including promoting and ensuring the safety of children in Commonwealth care though the Commonwealth Child Safe Framework
• a national strategy to prevent child sexual abuse
• a national framework for child safety post-2020
• a national centre to raise awareness and understanding of the impacts of child sexual abuse, support help-seeking and guide best practice, and
• a prevalence of child maltreatment in Australia study.

Responding to children experiencing violence is a priority of the Third Action Plan (2016-2019) of the National Plan.

All states and territories have laws for the protection of children.

For information about state and territory policies and programmes related to domestic and family violence, visit:

• Australian Capital Territory – Community Services Directorate
• New South Wales – Domestic Violence
• Northern Territory – Territory Families
• Queensland – Queensland Government
• South Australia – Office for Women
• Tasmania – Department of Premier and Cabinet – Safe Homes, Safe Families
• Victoria – Department of Human Services
• Western Australia – Department for Child Protection and Family Support

For information about Australian state and territory work relating to children, visit:

• Australian Capital Territory – Community Services Directorate
• New South Wales – Department of Health and Office of the Children's Guardian
• Northern Territory – Territory Families
• Queensland – Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services
• South Australia – Department for Communities and Social Inclusion
• Tasmania – Department for Child Protection
• Victoria – Department of Human Services
Western Australia – Department for Child Protection and Family Support