03 June 2025
- NSW Government’s ‘justice package announcement’ fails to invest new money towards the frontline response
- Full Stop, NCOSS, Barnardos and more join DVNSW call for 50% DFV services baseline funding increase
- NSW specialist domestic violence services report 2-month average wait for critical support
Leading organisations across NSW have joined Domestic Violence NSW (DVNSW) in calling on the NSW Government to invest a 50% increase into baseline funding to the specialist domestic and family violence (DFV) sector.
While yesterday’s announcement from the NSW Government included some welcome justice initiatives, it does little to address the reality that existing services are stretched to breaking point – operating on outdated funding models that don’t come close to covering today’s costs.
Delia Donovan, CEO of DVNSW, says the gravity of the crisis is underscored by the breadth of support received from other community organisations who, despite often competing for the same limited funding pools, are standing in solidarity with the DFV sector.
“Community services in NSW can’t always advocate for increased funding for other sectors because resources are so scarce. The fact that peak bodies across community, sexual violence, children and family services are all endorsing our call for a 50% baseline funding increase sends a powerful message: the system is on the brink of complete overwhelm, and if specialist DFV services remain underresourced, the impacts will reverberate across every part of the community services system,” Donovan said.
Cara Varian, CEO of the NSW Council of Social Service (NCOSS), said domestic and family violence intersects with every facet of social services and must be treated as a whole-of-system issue.
“Domestic and family violence isn’t a siloed issue – it touches homelessness, mental health, alcohol and other drug use, children’s wellbeing and economic security. We see the ripple effects every day across the community services we represent,” Varian said.
“This is why NCOSS supports DVNSW in their call for a 50% increase in baseline funding – because the cost of inaction is being borne by victim-survivors and the services trying to keep them safe with too little.”
DVNSW is urging the NSW Government to direct sustainable funding to the baseline, ensuring specialist DFV services can meet growing demand, attract and retain a skilled workforce, and provide timely, trauma-informed support to all who need it.
“Without this urgent and sustained investment, more victim-survivors will be left waiting in unsafe situations, more staff will burn out, and more communities will be devastated,” Donovan said.
“We can’t end domestic and family violence without adequately resourcing the services that are there
from the very first call for help.”