The Minns Labor Government will invest an additional $184.1 million to increase funding by 50 per cent for six frontline specialist domestic and family violence programs over the next four years to help keep more women and children safe.
This is the largest across-the-board increase in core funding for specialist domestic and family violence programs in decades. It represents a landmark investment in the services women and children rely on when escaping violence.
Domestic and family violence is one of the biggest social challenges facing our state.
Demand for support continues to grow across NSW, with specialist services facing increasing pressure as more victim-survivors seek help.
Safety is the first step in helping victim-survivors rebuild their lives. This investment will help ensure that when someone makes the difficult decision to leave violence, they can get the support they need, when they need it.
The funding will expand access to safety planning, counselling, case management and tailored support, while also growing the frontline workforce and strengthening the long-term sustainability of the sector.
We have listened to the sector about the challenges they face. This investment is designed to stabilise services, expand capacity and fund hundreds of additional specialist workers in communities across NSW.
It builds on the Government’s work to move key domestic and family violence programs to five-year contracts, helping provide greater certainty for service providers and continuity of care for victim-survivors.
It also lays the foundation for longer-term reform and a stronger, more sustainable domestic and family violence support system for the future.
Where the funding goes
The $184.1 million is delivered across six frontline programs:
- $76.1 million for the Safer Pathway program, providing coordinated support for victim-survivors across NSW.
- $54.0 million for the Staying Home Leaving Violence program and the Integrated Domestic and Family Violence Services program to help women and children remain safely in their homes after violence, and provide intensive case management for high-risk families.
- $19.3 million for Men’s Behaviour Change programs, to reduce and prevent violent and abusive behaviour.
- $17.5 million for the Domestic Violence Response Enhancement program, providing after-hours assistance to people experiencing domestic and family violence.
- $17.2 million for Specialist Workers for Children and Young People, providing trauma-informed support for children and young people escaping violence.
Community-sector workers who deliver these services also receive a 4.75 per cent pay increase, in line with the Fair Work Commission determination and which the Minns Labor Government is passing on in full.
Reform for the future
A further $6.3 million will support frontline services and long-term reform through continuing work on the Common Approach to Risk Assessment and Safety (CARAS). These reforms are part of a broader package totalling $190.4 million.
This builds on the $5.1 billion committed in the previous Budget for new social housing, with
half of new builds prioritised for victim-survivors of domestic and family violence. It also follows from our $245.6 million investment to expand support services and improve domestic violence prevention to build a safer NSW.
Building a safer future
This investment builds on the Government’s broader work to expand support services, deliver more social housing and strengthen prevention efforts across NSW.
Because when women and children make the decision to leave violence, they deserve to know help will be there