National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children 2022 - 2032

On 17 October 2022, the Australian, state and territory governments released the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022–2032 (National Plan).

The National Plan is the overarching national policy framework that will guide actions towards ending violence against women and children over the next 10 years.

It highlights how all parts of society, including governments, businesses and workplaces, media, schools and educational institutions, the family, domestic and sexual violence sector, communities and all individuals, must work together to achieve the shared vision of ending gender-based violence in one generation.

Read the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022–2032.

Violence against women and children is a problem of epidemic proportions in Australia. One in 3 women has experienced physical violence since the age of 15, and one in 5 has experienced sexual violence¹. On average, a woman is killed by an intimate partner every 10 days². Rates of violence are even higher for certain groups, such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women³. All Australian governments are united in their commitment to addressing the unacceptable rates of violence in our communities.

The National Plan outlines what needs to happen to achieve the vision of ending violence in one generation. This includes building the workforce and strengthening data collection systems. It also includes increasing accountability for people who choose to use violence, and providing person-centred and holistic responses to support victim-survivors through their recovery and healing.

The National Plan sets out actions across four domains:

1. Prevention – working to change the underlying social drivers of violence by addressing the attitudes and systems that drive violence against women and children to stop it before it starts.
2. Early intervention – identifying and supporting individuals who are at high risk of experiencing or perpetrating violence and prevent it from reoccurring.
3. Response – providing services and supports to address existing violence and support victim-survivors experiencing violence, such as crisis support and police intervention, and a trauma-informed justice system that will hold people who use violence to account.
4. Recovery and healing – helping to reduce the risk of re-traumatisation, and supporting victim-survivors to be safe and healthy to be able to recover from trauma and the physical, mental, emotional, and economic impacts of violence.

The former National Plan to Reduce Violence Against Women and their Children 2010-2022

Released in 2011, the former National Plan focused on stopping violence before it happens in the first place, supporting women who have experienced violence, stopping men from committing violence, and building the evidence base so that we learn more about 'what works' in reducing domestic and family violence and sexual assault.

Reports on the former National Plan are available on the Department of Social Services website.