Tuesday 23 June
The below statement can be attributed to Delia Donovan, CEO of Domestic Violence NSW.
Domestic Violence NSW (DVNSW), the peak body representing nearly 200 specialist domestic and family violence organisations across NSW, welcomes today’s $184.1 million investment over four years to help stabilise the specialist domestic and family violence sector.
At a time of significant pressure on the state budget, we commend the NSW Government for recognising domestic and family violence as a priority. This investment will provide relief to services that have been carrying extraordinary demand. It is an important step and must also mark the beginning of a longer-term commitment to building a sustainable specialist sector.
The pressures facing services have not disappeared. The specialist workforce knows where funding gaps remain and what victim-survivors need to stay safe.
As the NSW and National Plans to End Violence against Women and Children enter their next phases, we want to continue working in partnership with the NSW Government to design future investments that embed frontline expertise, target investment where it is needed most, and deliver lasting outcomes for victim-survivors.
That means engaging the specialist sector early in funding and reform decisions, so investment is practical, sustainable and delivers the greatest impact.
The commitment of the specialist domestic and family violence workforce has kept the system functioning despite exceptional resourcing challenges. We recognise the frontline workers, refuge staff, caseworkers, Aboriginal-led services, multicultural specialists, women’s health services, legal services and the many others who stand beside victim-survivors every day.
Most importantly, we must keep victim-survivors at the centre of this announcement. Their courage, expertise and lived experience must continue to shape the future of the domestic and family violence system.
We welcome today’s commitment and the difference it will make for services and victim-survivors across NSW. We remain committed to working alongside government, our members and victim-survivors to build the sustainable, responsive specialist domestic and family violence sector that New South Wales needs.
Until every victim-survivor can access the support they need, when they need it, our work continues.