The Minns Labor Government is continuing work to create a safer New South Wales and address sexual, domestic and family violence in communities, with the state’s first standalone primary prevention strategy launched today.
Pathways to Prevention: NSW Strategy for the Prevention of Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence 2024-2028 sets out the framework to address the underlying beliefs and cultures that tolerate and, in too many cases, condone the use of violence against women and children.
Developed in consultation with over 200 individuals and organisations, including Domestic Violence New South Wales, Aboriginal stakeholders and Our Watch, the strategy identifies three priorities for prevention in New South Wales:
- Progressing prevention in priority settings.
- Supporting Aboriginal-led prevention.
- Providing centralised support to prevention efforts across the state.
To date, most government actions to address sexual, domestic and family violence have focused on early intervention, crisis response and recovery. This work is critically important but responds to existing violence or indicators of violence.
Primary prevention is about stopping violence before it starts. It is about programs that, over the long-term, help to shift the dial on community attitudes and behaviours underlying these types of violence.
The Minns Labor Government has committed $38.3 million for the implementation of the strategy through a range of initiatives to address the drivers of domestic, family and sexual violence
The launch of this strategy is an important milestone for the state as work continues to address the unacceptable rates of sexual and domestic violence against women and children in New South Wales.
Priority 1: Progressing prevention action in priority settings
The strategy aims to address drivers of violence through place-based work across four high impact settings – local communities, schools, workplaces and sporting clubs.
Local community organisations
The NSW Government will work with councils, community organisations and with existing local networks to establish primary prevention initiatives designed specifically for their communities.
This will include establishing a formal network of councils, relevant government agencies and non-government organisations to allow streamlined information sharing and learning.
The primary prevention capacity of councils and community organisations will also be boosted through staff training.
Schools and early childhood education
Early childhood learning centres, preschools and schools across the state have near universal reach to children and young people, providing the greatest opportunities for successful primary prevention.
Work in this space will include the recruitment and training of specialist respectful relationship education roles, supporting schools to implement age-appropriate and evidence-informed respectful relationship education.
The Minns Labor Government has also separately committed $8.8 million to expand the early childhood ‘All-In’ pilot project empowering childcare professionals and families to actively challenge gender stereotypes which drive gender-based violence.
Workplaces
Workplaces play an important role in preventing and responding to domestic and family violence.
The NSW Government will develop and expand the delivery of workshops for employers across NSW on the drivers of workplace gender-based violence, and actions they can take to both prevent and respond to it.
Sporting clubs
Sport reaches and influences people in many settings and at all ages, including employees, sponsors, supporters, volunteers, players and their families.
Under the strategy, a dedicated team will be established within the Office of Sport to drive the coordination and implementation of primary prevention activity within the sporting context in NSW.
Further, the NSW Government will establish a coalition of state sporting organisations, Sport NSW and Our Watch to guide initiatives focused on building the capacity of sports organisations to address gender inequality and drivers of sexual, domestic and family violence using their collective influence.
Priority 2: Supporting Aboriginal-led prevention
Aboriginal women and girls are 31 times more likely than non-Aboriginal women and girls to be hurt by domestic and family violence assaults so badly they need to stay in hospital. The NSW Government is committed to addressing this to help ensure Aboriginal families are healthy and safe.
To make sure primary prevention is effective and culturally relevant for Aboriginal people, the NSW Government will co-design initiatives that centre on Aboriginal priorities, strengths and knowledge. A dedicated team will be established within Government to work alongside Aboriginal communities and sector partners to drive the coordination and implementation of this activity.
A dedicated NSW Aboriginal Domestic and Family Violence Plan is also being developed, with a draft to be released in 2025.
Priority 3: Providing centralised support to prevention efforts across the state
To ensure the strategy is effective and delivering outcomes, the NSW Government will embed implementation monitoring and evaluation metrics within the program.
This will ensure best practice is being undertaken and effective strategies are consolidated and shared across the state.
The NSW Government will establish a Primary Prevention Advisory Council to guide the implementation of the strategy. The council will include representation from priority groups, including people representing regional, rural and remote areas, Aboriginal people and people from the LGBTIQA+ community.
An evaluation of the NSW Government’s primary prevention work will be published annually by the NSW Women’s Safety Commissioner, Dr. Hannah Tonkin.
Pathways to Prevention: NSW Strategy for the Prevention of Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence 2024-2028 can be found here: https://dcj.nsw.gov.au/service-providers/supporting-family-domestic-sexual-violence-services/domestic-family-sexual-violence-plans-and-strategies/nsw-strategy-for-the-prevention-of-domestic-family-and-sexual-violence.html
Chris Minns, Premier of New South Wales said:
“We have a long road ahead of us to catch up to where we should be in terms of a comprehensive statewide approach to primary prevention – but not doing this work is simply not an option, the stakes are far too high.
“The state’s first dedicated primary prevention strategy is an important step for New South Wales as we continue our work to create safer communities for women and children.
“We need to invest in this work now, to help prevent more lives being ended or ruined in years or even decades to come.
“This framework will be the foundation of our efforts to not just respond to violence once it has occurred, but to stop it before it starts.”
