Domestic Violence NSW (DVNSW) welcomes the opportunity to respond to the Terms of Reference (TOR) for the Inquiry into Government Service Delivery Standards in Regional New South Wales. DVNSW has identified significant disparities in government investment between regional and metropolitan areas across NSW, particularly in relation to specialist domestic and family violence (DFV) services.
DVNSW’s Ending Violence in Regional and Remote NSW demonstrates that current service delivery standards in regional NSW are being undermined by structural underinvestment, rising demand, and systemic barriers that render “equal” funding settings inequitable in practice. Regional and remote areas experience materially higher DFV rates. For example, New England and North-West NSW record DFV rates at 705.2 per 100,000, more than six times the rate in the highest metropolitan region (North Sydney and Hornsby). Compounding barriers such as transport limitations, digital isolation, and inadequate justice infrastructure place victim-survivors at further risk of harm.
These conditions affect not only whether people can access services, but whether services can safely and consistently meet community need. Providers across regional NSW report rising referrals in services already operating well beyond funded capacity, creating unsafe service strain and significant workforce burnout risks that are not adequately captured in current performance reporting frameworks (Domestic Violence NSW, 2025, Regional Focus Report).