‘Australian Governments need to step in and take action to stop men’s violence against women at the source’, Phillip Ripper, CEO of No to Violence, said this morning before announcements expected today from the Prime Minister and National Cabinet’s meeting on family violence.  

“If Australia is going to stop family violence, governments across our nation must prioritise stopping men’s use of family violence.  It is no longer acceptable for women and children to bear the burden of men’s choices to use family violence. Men’s use of family violence is not inevitable, and we need national leadership and a dedicated national perpetration strategy addressing people who use family violence.’ 

‘We can’t afford another missed opportunity’, Mr Ripper said.  

‘A lot has happened since the first National Cabinet meeting in May. Importantly, Queensland has announced the first state-based strategy focussed on stopping violence at its source. We need to replicate this effort nationally to ensure that we have a cohesive and coordinated response, including facilitating improved cross-jurisdictional work, like information sharing, so that we don’t duplicate efforts and learn from each other in developing effective ways to create the meaningful change we need if we are ever going to stop family violence. 

‘This requires radical change in how governments understand and respond to people using violence’, he said. 

A crucial first step is a national perpetration strategy that ensures we: 

• Build a national evidence base on the pathways people take into using family violence and the potential pathways out.  

• Develop an effective, targeted and available suite of interventions so that there are pathways out of using violence. These must include trauma-informed therapeutic 1-1 work, whole-of-family responses, and targeted interventions for specific cohorts, such as high-risk men, men with complex needs, like drug and alcohol problems, and culturally appropriate pathways out, alongside support for community-led responses. 

• Close loopholes that enable men using violence to weaponise the justice system, child protection, family law, and child support against their victims. These loopholes disproportionately impact marginalised people.  

• Create an integrated systems response to men’s use of family violence across police, justice, child protection, housing and homelessness, health services, legal services, mental health, alcohol and other drugs services, as well as universal services like health and education. 

• Fund the frontline to support services and the practitioners that work day-in and day-out with victim-survivors and those perpetrating violence against them. To do this, government funding must reflect the real cost of delivering innovative and effective services and build a highly qualified workforce. There is a 40-plus year history in Australia of working with men using violence, but practitioners’ knowledge of what works to stop violence rarely shapes political and policy-makers’ decisions. The initiatives announced today by the Commonwealth will not lead to the outcomes the whole country wants unless they value the insights of those working directly with men using violence. 

For interviews please contact David Sutherland at davids@ntv.org.au or 0405 354 343  

About No to Violence   

No to Violence (NTV) is Australia’s largest national peak body for organisations that work with men who use family violence, providing training, sector development and advocacy across the sector. NTV also operates the Men’s Referral Service, providing a counselling service and referral pathways directly to men who use violence.