49% surge in high-risk referrals as more women seek help amid growing pressures inside
NSW homes
12 May 2026
Domestic Violence NSW is warning that rising cost-of-living pressures and increasing social isolation may be contributing to heightened levels of domestic and family violence across the state, as new data shows a surge in high-risk referrals and requests for help.
New data identifies a 49% increase[1] in referrals involving serious threat assessments by NSW Police, alongside continued growth in people seeking support from frontline services.
While changes to domestic violence risk assessment tools mean the data cannot be directly compared year-on-year, the sector says the trend is consistent with what services are seeing on the ground; where frontline workers are reporting increasing complexity and severity of cases, compounded by growing pressures within households.
DVNSW Spokesperson Angie Gehle said the data reflects a broader pattern of social burdens imposed by a rapidly changing and unpredictable landscape.
“We are seeing more people reaching out for help, and more victim-survivors being assessed as high risk. That tells us something is shifting, and it’s deeply concerning.”
“Cost-of-living pressures are forcing people to make difficult choices. For some, that can mean withdrawing from support networks, being forced to stay in unsafe situations due to a lack of resources or experiencing increased stress and conflict at home.”
Domestic Violence NSW says isolation, whether social, financial or geographic, is a known risk factor for domestic and family violence and may be intensifying as households face ongoing economic strain.
“When people become more isolated, the risk can escalate. It becomes harder to seek help, harder to leave, surveillance increases and its easier for violence to go unseen.”
The peak body is warning that without more government funding for specialist domestic and family violence services these pressures risk translating into increased danger for victim-survivors of domestic violence.
“What we are seeing now are early warning signs. If we don’t act, these risks will continue to escalate.”
Domestic Violence NSW is calling for urgent investment to strengthen the system’s ability to respond, with the immediate priority of a 50% increase to core funding for specialist domestic violence services, to stabilise the specialist service system to respond to these risks.
“The sector is already past capacity; we cannot afford to wait until more people reach beyond crisis point. We need a system that can respond to people now, identify risk earlier, and support people before the harm escalates.”
Domestic and family violence remains one of the most significant and growing human rights issue facing women and children in NSW, with demand for services continuing to rise.
ENDS
[1] Legal Aid, DFV Connect police referral data for 2025 calendar year