A new multi-billion-dollar investment in the prevention of family violence will include improved information-sharing across jurisdictions and a review of state alcohol laws.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said today’s National Cabinet had agreed on ways to accelerate action to end gender-based violence in a generation, through a new $4.7 billion package.
“First Ministers agreed that ending the national crisis of gender-based violence, including violence against children and young people, will remain an ongoing priority for National Cabinet,” Prime Minister Albanese said.
“(They) acknowledged that a coordinated approach across all states and territories is required to address this national crisis.”
Prime Minister Albanese said the new funding would harnesses opportunities to work together to prevent violence and support legal services.
He said it brought together efforts and funding to:
- Deliver support for frontline specialist and legal services responding to gender-based violence.
- Develop innovative approaches to better identify and respond to high-risk perpetrators to stop violence escalating.
- Address the role that systems and harmful industries play in exacerbating violence.
“Today, National Cabinet signed the Heads of Agreement for a new National Access to Justice Partnership, including a critical $800 million increase in funding to the legal assistance sector over five years, with a focus on uplifting legal services responding to gender-based violence.”
Prime Minister Albanese said under the agreement, the Federal Government would invest $3.9 billion over five years from July 1, 2025, and provide ongoing funding beyond the five-year agreement so the sector had long-term funding certainty.
“The new agreement will support greater flexibility for states and territories to direct funding to meet local need and will be accompanied by stronger transparency and accountability mechanisms.”
He said National Cabinet had agreed to deliver new approaches to better respond to high-risk perpetrators by:
- Developing a new national best practice family and domestic violence risk assessment principles and a model best practice risk assessment framework.
- Supporting enhancements to the National Criminal Intelligence System, which enables information sharing across jurisdictions, to provide a ‘warning flag’ that will assist police responding to high-risk perpetrators.
- Extending and increasing nationally-consistent, two-way information sharing between the family law courts and state and territory courts, child protection, policing and firearms agencies.
- Strengthening system responses to high-risk perpetrators to prevent homicides, by trialling new focussed deterrence models and Domestic Violence Threat Assessment Centres. These centres will be able to use intelligence, monitor individuals and intervene with those at high risk of carrying out homicide.
Prime Minister Albanese said the new risk assessment principles and trials of focussed deterrence models would be developed in close consultation with First Nations people and communities and would give specific consideration to application and implementation of approaches for First Nations people and communities.
“Acknowledging the role that systems and industries can play in exacerbating violence, State and Territory First Ministers agreed to review alcohol laws and its impact on family and domestic violence victims to identify and share best practice and reforms and to report back to National Cabinet on progress.”
