Between
April 2023 and March 2024 in New South Wales there were 36,513
domestic violence assault incidents recorded and the state
rate for domestic-violence related assaults reported to police
was 447.1 per 100,000 persons and the NSW regional rate was
596.7 per 100,000 persons.
Across
New South Wales during the same time period there were 15,728
incidents where adult women were recorded as victims of intimate
partner domestic violence along with 5,926 incidents where
adult women were the victims of family violence.
From
April 2004 to March 2024 there were 15 domestic violence-related
female murder victims in NSW - 11 were murdered by an intimate
partner and 4 were murdered by a family member.
Between
April 2023 and March 2024 domestic violence-related assault rates per 100,000 population in the Northern Rivers local government areas were:
Richmond
Valley
- 772.1
Clarence
Valley
- 709.8
Lismore
City
- 496.9
Tweed
- 324.6
Byron
- 312.2
Ballina
- 303.1
Kyogle
- 37.9.
Three
of the seven local government areas exceeded the state rate for
domestic violence-related assaults reported to police, two exceeded
the NSW regional rate & three also exceeded the Northern Rivers
estimated overall rate of 422.3
incidents per 100,000.
Note:
All statistics were found in NSW BOCSAR, Trends
in Domestic & Family violence – quarterly March report 2024 & Domestic Violence Assault Regional Comparison Tool
Neither
New South Wales nor the Northern Rivers region are unique
in the level of domestic violence-related assaults and murders within
their communities, violence against women and girls is endemic
within Australia.
So
it was heartening to see the Australian National Cabinet's detailed
announcement at the end of last week which included a $4.7 billion
funding package.
Meeting of National Cabinet
Media
statement
Friday
6 September 2024
National
Cabinet met in Canberra today to agree practical next steps to
accelerate action to end gender-based violence in a generation and
deliver on the National Plan to End Violence against Women and
Children 2022-2032.
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. First Ministers
acknowledged that a coordinated approach across all states and
territories is required to address this national crisis.
National
Cabinet is committed to maintaining a central focus on missing and
murdered First Nations women and children and agreed that all
government commitments on gender-based violence must explicitly
consider the needs and experiences of First Nations people, and be
delivered in genuine partnership with First Nations communities.
Today,
National Cabinet agreed a comprehensive $4.7 billion package that
harnesses important opportunities to work together to prevent
violence and support legal services. It brings together efforts and
funding to:
— Deliver
much needed support for frontline specialist and legal services
responding to gender based violence.
— 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.
These
actions are guided by the valuable contributions of the Rapid Review
of Prevention Approaches. The recommendations of the review have
guided immediate actions and First Ministers have agreed to use the
review’s recommendations to inform strengthened efforts across all
governments to deliver the National Plan. Governments will
progressively respond to the review with the collective response
overseen by Women and Women’s Safety Minister’s Meeting over
time.
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.
Under
this agreement, the Commonwealth will invest $3.9 billion over five
years from 1 July 2025 and for the first time will provide ongoing
funding beyond the five year agreement so that the sector has
long-term funding certainty.
National
Cabinet agreed to negotiate a renewed, five year National Partnership
Agreement on Family, Domestic and Sexual Violence Responses, to
commence on 1 July 2025 and deliver over $700 million in new matched
investments from the Commonwealth and states and territories.
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.
It will include a focus on nationally coordinated approaches to
support prevention activities through frontline services, including
funding for:
— Specialist
services for women.
— Services
to support children exposed to family, domestic and sexual violence
to heal and recover.
— Working
with men, including men’s behaviour change programs for
perpetrators of gendered violence.
Delivering
on commitments made at the May National Cabinet on gender based
violence, First Ministers today agreed to deliver innovative new
approaches to better identify high risk perpetrators, share
information about them across systems and state boundaries, and
intervene early to stop violence escalating.
First
Ministers agreed to:
— Develop
new national best practice family and domestic violence risk
assessment principles and a model best practice risk assessment
framework.
— Support
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.
— Extend
and increase nationally-consistent, two-way information sharing
between the family law courts and state and territory courts, child
protection, policing and firearms agencies.
— Strengthen
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.
The
new risk assessment principles and trials of focussed deterrence
models will be developed in close consultation with First Nations
people and communities and will 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.
This
builds on commitments by the Commonwealth at the May National Cabinet
to deliver a range of measures to tackle factors that exacerbate
violence against women, including violent online pornography. The
Commonwealth will announce a comprehensive response to the
Parliamentary Inquiry into Online Gambling in due course.
To
help break the cycle of violence, the Commonwealth will start
comprehensive work with sector experts to identify gaps in supports
for children and young people who have experienced or witnessed FDSV,
to inform the design and implementation of new and revised
initiatives and interventions. This work will include a specific
focus on First Nations children and young people through culturally
safe consultation and expertise.
While
this comprehensive work is underway, the Commonwealth will provide an
over $80 million boost to enhance and expand child-centric
trauma-informed supports for children and young people.
The
Commonwealth will also provide funding to establish national
standards for men’s behaviour change.
The
Commonwealth will immediately commence an audit of key Commonwealth
government systems to identify areas where they are being weaponised
by perpetrators of family and domestic violence.
This
media statement has been agreed by First Ministers and serves as a
record of meeting outcomes.
