Prime Minister Declares Domestic Violence a National Crisis

In early May the Prime Minister declared domestic violence a national crisis, with the number of women who have tragically lost their lives in violent circumstances in Australia this year reaching 27, following the murder of a 30-year-old woman in Perth in the last few weeks. This tragedy has sparked outrage across the nation as tens of thousands of people participated in marches across Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, and Perth demanding that our government and society do better to address the ever-present crisis of domestic violence.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese attended a rally in Canberra and addressed the crowd, declaring domestic violence as a national crisis where a woman dies every four days on average in Australia. He announced that there will be a national cabinet meeting held on the following Wednesday to address this issue.

Leaving Violence Payment

Following the national cabinet meeting, Mr Albanese announced that the federal government will invest $925 million over five years from 1 July 2025. These funds will be invested to deliver a range of new measures including the ‘Leaving Violence Payment’ to assist people experiencing intimate partner violence with the costs of leaving the violent situation.

This payment will allow eligible people to access up to $5,000 in financial support, as well as safety planning, referral services and risk assessments and makes permanent a trial of this program which was accessed by 45,000 Australians since 2021.

Monitoring Online Material

The federal government have also committed to legislate to ban violent online deepfake pornography with Mr Albanese stating that ‘serious criminal penalties’ would apply to the creation and sharing of sexually explicit material without consent via technology and artificial intelligence.

Additionally, a new phase of the government’s ‘Stop it at the Start’ campaign will be launching from June 2024 until May 2025 and address misogynistic content targeting children and young people. The goal of the campaign is to de-influence impressionable teenagers who look up to social media personalities that perpetuate harmful gender stereotypes and sexist attitudes condoning violence against women.

The government have evidently committed to implementing both proactive and re-active measures to address the national crisis of domestic violence, and the effect of such measures will be analysed in the coming months.

If you or someone you know is experiencing family violence, there are a number of areas of support available.
Contact:

• National Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence Counselling Service 24-hour helpline 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732, text 0458 737 732 or join an online chat at https://www.1800respect.org.au/online-chat-1800respect
• 24-hour Emergency Accommodation helpline on 1800 152 152
• Full Stop Australia: NSW Sexual Violence Helpline 1800 424 017
• NSW Victims Services 1800 633 063
• Bravehearts – Sexual Assault Support for Children free call on 1800 272 831
• Kids Helpline is for young people aged 5 to 25 on 1800 551 800
• Lifeline Australia 13 11 44

If this article has created any concerns for you or, you would like to discuss your situation, please contact Solari and Stock to speak with one of our Team of Solicitors on 8525 2700 or click here to request an appointment with one of our experienced Family Law Team.

Written by Mia Doncevski
Photo by Kira Severinova on Unsplash