No to Violence extends its sincere congratulations to all elected Members of Parliament.

In the lead up to the Federal Election, No to Violence outlined five key initiatives to shift the burden and support the sector in keeping women and children safe.

Today we confirm our willingness to work with government, the cross bench, independents and the opposition to realise our vision of a world free from male violence.

We need:

1. Secure funding for the national Men’s Referral Service – a dedicated phone line for men who use violence to call and get help – and for the specialist programs that work with men to stop them using violence.

2. A fully resourced national evaluation framework to rigorously assess what programs work to stop men using violence.

3. A national partnership agreement between the Commonwealth, States and Territories to provide cooperation, funding, and accountability to end men’s family violence.

4. Funded training in risk assessment for all employees who work with people impacted by family, domestic and sexual violence to properly identify perpetrators.

5. Funding to support the families and children of those enrolled in perpetrator intervention programs. Working with perpetrators also means supporting victim survivors during these programs to keep them safe.

We know these proposals are the right way forward to shape policy frameworks and the service system. They must be reflected in the next iteration of the National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children.

We will continue to work on much needed reform across the service and legal systems to improve outcomes for women and children affected by family and intimate partner violence.

The No to Violence Conference 2022: Shifting the Burden at the Adelaide Convention Centre will run from 1-4 August. It will bring together national and international leaders in conversation to change the focus of family and domestic violence in Australia, to shift the burden of responsibility from victim-survivors, placing it squarely on the men who use violence.

Family and domestic violence will stop when men stop using violence.

I hope to see our members and the wider family violence sector in Adelaide for our conference.

Ruth Rozario is the acting Chief Executive Officer of No to Violence, Australia’s largest peak body for organisations that work with men who use family violence, and the operator of the Men’s Referral Service.

This blog piece was developed using analysis and insights from the No to Violence Policy and Research team.