The Minns Labor Government is continuing work to create a safer New South Wales and address sexual, domestic and family violence in communities, with the state's first standalone primary prevention strategy launched today.
Pathways to Prevention: NSW Strategy for the Prevention of Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence 2024-2028 sets out the framework to address the underlying beliefs and cultures that tolerate and, in too many cases, condone the use of violence against women and children.
Developed in consultation with over 200 individuals and organisations, including Domestic Violence New South Wales, Aboriginal stakeholders and Our Watch, the strategy identifies three priorities for prevention in New South Wales:
- Progressing prevention in priority settings.
- Supporting Aboriginal-led prevention.
- Providing centralised support to prevention efforts across the state.
To date, most government actions to address sexual, domestic and family violence have focused on early intervention, crisis response and recovery. This work is critically important but responds to existing violence or indicators of violence.
Primary prevention is about stopping violence before it starts. It is about programs that, over the long-term, help to shift the dial on community attitudes and behaviours underlying these types of violence.
The Minns Labor Government has committed $38.3 million for the implementation of the strategy through a range of initiatives to address the drivers of domestic, family and sexual violence
The launch of this strategy is an important milestone for the state as work continues to address the unacceptable rates of sexual and domestic violence against women and children in New South Wales.
Priority 1: Progressing prevention action in priority settings
The strategy aims to address drivers of violence through place-based work across four high impact settings - local communities, schools, workplaces and sporting clubs.
Local community organisations
The NSW Government will work with councils, community organisations and with existing local networks to establish primary prevention initiatives designed specifically for their communities.
This will include establishing a formal network of councils, relevant government agencies and non-government organisations to allow streamlined information sharing and learning.
The primary prevention capacity of councils and community organisations will also be boosted through staff training.
Schools and early childhood education
Early childhood learning centres, preschools and schools across the state have near universal reach to children and young people, providing the greatest opportunities for successful primary prevention.
Work in this space will include the recruitment and training of specialist respectful relationship education roles, supporting schools to implement age-appropriate and evidence-informed respectful relationship education.
The Minns Labor Government has also separately committed $8.8 million to expand the early childhood 'All-In' pilot project empowering childcare professionals and families to actively challenge gender stereotypes which drive gender-based violence.
Workplaces
Workplaces play an important role in preventing and responding to domestic and family violence.
The NSW Government will develop and expand the delivery of workshops for employers across NSW on the drivers of workplace gender-based violence, and actions they can take to both prevent and respond to it.
Sporting clubs
Sport reaches and influences people in many settings and at all ages, including employees, sponsors, supporters, volunteers, players and their families.
Under the strategy, a dedicated team will be established within the Office of Sport to drive the coordination and implementation of primary prevention activity within the sporting context in NSW.
Further, the NSW Government will establish a coalition of state sporting organisations, Sport NSW and Our Watch to guide initiatives focused on building the capacity of sports organisations to address gender inequality and drivers of sexual, domestic and family violence using their collective influence.
Priority 2: Supporting Aboriginal-led prevention
Aboriginal women and girls are 31 times more likely than non-Aboriginal women and girls to be hurt by domestic and family violence assaults so badly they need to stay in hospital. The NSW Government is committed to addressing this to help ensure Aboriginal families are healthy and safe.
To make sure primary prevention is effective and culturally relevant for Aboriginal people, the NSW Government will co-design initiatives that centre on Aboriginal priorities, strengths and knowledge. A dedicated team will be established within Government to work alongside Aboriginal communities and sector partners to drive the coordination and implementation of this activity.
A dedicated NSW Aboriginal Domestic and Family Violence Plan is also being developed, with a draft to be released in 2025.
Priority 3: Providing centralised support to prevention efforts across the state
To ensure the strategy is effective and delivering outcomes, the NSW Government will embed implementation monitoring and evaluation metrics within the program.
This will ensure best practice is being undertaken and effective strategies are consolidated and shared across the state.
The NSW Government will establish a Primary Prevention Advisory Council to guide the implementation of the strategy. The council will include representation from priority groups, including people representing regional, rural and remote areas, Aboriginal people and people from the LGBTIQA+ community.
An evaluation of the NSW Government's primary prevention work will be published annually by the NSW Women's Safety Commissioner, Dr. Hannah Tonkin.
Pathways to Prevention: NSW Strategy for the Prevention of Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence 2024-2028 can be found here: https://dcj.nsw.gov.au/service-providers/supporting-family-domestic-sexual-violence-services/domestic-family-sexual-violence-plans-and-strategies/nsw-strategy-for-the-prevention-of-domestic-family-and-sexual-violence.html
Chris Minns, Premier of New South Wales said:
"We have a long road ahead of us to catch up to where we should be in terms of a comprehensive statewide approach to primary prevention - but not doing this work is simply not an option, the stakes are far too high.
"The state's first dedicated primary prevention strategy is an important step for New South Wales as we continue our work to create safer communities for women and children.
"We need to invest in this work now, to help prevent more lives being ended or ruined in years or even decades to come.
"This framework will be the foundation of our efforts to not just respond to violence once it has occurred, but to stop it before it starts."
Prue Car, Deputy Premier, Minister for Education and Early Learning said:
"When young people are taught in their early formative years about resilience, respect and safety in relationships, it has an incredible impact on the people they grow up to become.
"When you teach a child respect and resilience at an early age, and build their self-esteem, it becomes a part of the fabric of who they are. They grow up knowing what healthy, respectful and equal relationships look like.
"Education is one of the most powerful tools we have to change behaviours and attitudes, leading to a positive society where women and children are able to live in a safer New South Wales."
David Harris, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Treaty said:
"We know that domestic and family violence does not discriminate - it impacts every single community across our state.
"However, we also know that Aboriginal communities experience domestic violence at much higher rates than other communities.
"Closing the Gap is a top priority of the NSW Government and we cannot and will not take a one size fits all approach in this space.
"The priorities, views and knowledge of Aboriginal communities will be central as the New South Wales Government continues work in this space."
Jodie Harrison, Minister for the Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault said:
"Domestic, family, and sexual violence is preventable, and the NSW Government is determined to deliver on a vision where all people in NSW can live free from violence.
"For too long we have focused on a crisis response to sexual and domestic violence, picking up the pieces of broken families and lives that have been shattered.
"The Pathways to Prevention strategy provides a holistic approach to stop violence before it starts and complements ongoing initiatives which support victim-survivors and ensure perpetrators are held to account.
"We all have the right to be safe and respected and to live a life free of domestic, family and sexual violence."
NSW Women's Safety Commissioner, Dr. Hannah Tonkin said:
"Eliminating domestic, family and sexual violence is a complex challenge which requires concerted effort from all levels of government, advocates, frontline workers and the broader community.
"NSW's first dedicated primary prevention strategy is a critical step to acknowledging that we can no longer continue to simply respond to the crisis. We must act early and collaboratively to disrupt the drivers of violence permanently."
CEO Domestic Violence NSW Delia Donovan said:
"Domestic, family and sexual violence is preventable. It's with a great sense of hope that Domestic Violence NSW welcomes the state's first primary prevention strategy as a crucial step in the long-term prevention of violence against women and children.
"It takes real leadership to acknowledge the existence of a problem and to acknowledge the work to be done. The NSW Government has consulted on the creation of this strategy. Domestic Violence NSW recommended prioritising prevention efforts led by grass roots and First Nations communities - the strategy launched today inspires confidence with the knowledge that our feedback has been heard.
"We're pleased to see schools and early learning centres, workplaces, sports clubs and grassroots community organisations central within this strategy and this change-making journey. We also welcome the focus on supporting Aboriginal-led domestic, family and sexual violence prevention efforts and self-determination.
"Incredible prevention work is already happening led by local communities, and we look forward to these initiatives receiving recognition and sustainable resourcing via the strategy and the funding that has been committed by the NSW Government."
CEO Full Stop Australia Karen Bevan said:
"Full Stop Australia welcomes the NSW Government's Strategy for the Prevention of Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence 2024-2028 which seeks to address the harms of gender-based violence in NSW. It will take every community and all of us to make the change we need to end sexual, domestic and family violence in NSW.
"We welcome the strategy's focus on sexual violence and the attitudes that underpin its prevalence - Full Stop Australia has been supporting people impacted by sexual violence in NSW for 50 years. A focus on preventing sexual, domestic and family violence is much needed and can real change.
"We encourage the NSW Government to continue its efforts to end sexual, domestic and family violence in the state."
CEO No to Violence Phillip Ripper said:
"Men's use of domestic, family and sexual violence is not inevitable. NSW's first standalone primary prevention strategy outlines how we can work together to address the underlying causes of domestic, family and sexual violence and stop violence before it occurs.
"Collective commitment to these actions can help reduce the burden on services that provide crisis responses to domestic, family and sexual violence.
"NTV particularly welcomes the focus on supporting Aboriginal-led prevention to ensure there are culturally safe and strengths-based approaches that centre the knowledge, culture, and resilience of Aboriginal peoples."
