Enough IS enough…the response to family violence in Australia must change now

Update 1 May 2024

Anthony Albanese has announced almost $1 billion over five years to permanently establish the Leaving Violence program, providing financial assistance and support for those escaping violence. While we commend this first step towards combating gender-based violence, we acknowledge that we still have significant work ahead of us.

"It's clear that together we must intensify our efforts and look at changes in our society to stem this tide. We need immediate changes to our response and prevention systems to keep women and children safe in their own homes. Enough IS enough… Let us unite in our resolve to end these tragedies and break the cycle of pain and abuse, once and for all," said Acting Berry Street CEO, Jenny McNaughton.

It would be impossible to avoid recent media coverage of the wave of intimate partner violence perpetrated against women.

The harsh truth is one woman is killed every four days in our nation. And that is not just a statistic—it's a devastating reality that shatters families, children, and frontline workers who confront this crisis daily. Yet, this is only the tip of the iceberg.

One woman in four in Australia has suffered intimate partner violence since the age of 15.* Countless women and children are being terrorised daily.

Our support services were stretched to their limits by this crisis. We must rally together as a community to demand robust actions against stalking, intimidation, physical and sexual violence, and coercive control. Too often, signs of family violence are overlooked—missed opportunities that could have prevented these tragedies.

We must recognise that this is predominantly a men's issue and take responsibility for addressing this as a nation. Women have been at the forefront of addressing this crisis for decades, achieving significant progress in support and recognition. We need to focus now on the perpetrators, and on prevention.

It's clear that together we must intensify our efforts and look at changes in our society to stem this tide. We need immediate changes to our response and prevention systems to keep women and children safe in their homes.

A national cabinet is being held this week to discuss how to address this national crisis…

Berry Street is calling on state and federal governments to prioritise evidence-based prevention strategies to reduce violence over the short and long term, including:

• a national register for offenders, electronic monitoring and national coordination of intelligence on serial violent offenders
• changes in our justice systems to protect women, in areas such as stronger bail laws, intervention orders and more police training around stalking
• introducing consequences for perpetrators across systems such as child support, Centrelink and the family courts, which are often weaponised against women
• preventing violent and misogynistic online content
• supporting frontline services to ensure that all victim-survivors of family violence can get the help they need when they need it
• investing in long-term support for victim-survivors including children, to recover. Healing from trauma and abuse breaks the cycle of violence and is true early intervention and prevention.

Enough IS enough… Let us unite in our resolve to end these tragedies and break the cycle of pain and abuse, once and for all.

Learn more about how Berry Street is addressing family violence.

*ABS, Personal Safety Australia, 2023