9 September 2026

The Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commission’s latest report highlights a critical gap in Australia’s response to domestic, family and sexual violence: we are still intervening too late, with too little focus on identifying and engaging people using violence before harm escalates.

No to Violence has welcomed the report’s strong focus on improving responses to victim-survivors, including in relation to sexual violence and the family law system, while calling for a much stronger national commitment to early intervention.

“Too much of our system is built around responding after the harm has happened,” Chris Lacey, General Manager at No to Violence said.

“By the time women and children are navigating police, courts, family law and specialist services, they may already have endured years of violence, abuse and coercive control. Ending domestic, family and sexual violence requires much greater focus on the people choosing to use it and intervening earlier to prevent that harm from escalating.”

No to Violence is calling for greater national investment in prevention, early intervention and specialist responses to people using violence, alongside stronger data, evaluation and accountability. Research cited in No to Violence’s Second Action Plan submission estimates that just 3.6 per cent of identifiable domestic and family violence funding across federal, state and territory budgets goes to early intervention, compared with 55.9 per cent directed to response.

“We need to identify and engage people using violence earlier, before behaviour escalates and before families are forced into crisis systems,” Mr Lacey said.

“Supporting victim-survivors and responding to perpetrators are not competing priorities- a safer system must do both. Until we build responses at the scale of the problem, Australia will continue spending billions dealing with the consequences of violence while investing too little in stopping it at the source.”

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Media Contact: Jo Nilsson
Media & Advocacy Advisor, No to Violence
communications@ntv.org.au | 0455666492

About No to Violence   

No to Violence is the Australian peak body for organisations and individuals committed to ending men’s use of family violence.  We support specialist men’s family violence services and operate the national Men’s Referral Service, a 24/7 telephone and online counselling and referral service to link men to the support they need to get on a pathway of change and end their use of family violence.  We undertake research, training and advocacy and work with governments, employers and business to stop family violence at the source. 

Please list the Men’s Referral Service with all Domestic, Sexual and Family Violence stories: The Men’s Referral Service provides counselling and referrals for men who are concerned about their behaviour: 1300 766 491 

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