Time for Action: The National Council’s Plan for Australia to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children, 2009-2021 

There are many people we must thank for their overwhelming generosity of spirit, for their willingness to share their life experiences and for their well-considered thoughts and ideas – all of whom have contributed to the development of Time for Action: The National Council’s Plan for Australia to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children 2009 – 2021 (the Plan of Action).

It is important that we first acknowledge that the authority for this Plan of Action was derived from the Australian Government’s 2007 election platform to establish a national council of experts – the National Council to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children (the Council) – to develop a plan that would reduce the incidence and the impact of violence against women and their children.

We recognise the courageous women in the history of the women’s movement who started this journey to set free and protect women from abusive relationships. They led the way and awoke our nation to the plight of women who have experienced sexual assault and to these women and children for whom domestic and family violence is a daily reality. We owe much to their vision and fortitude.

We thank the victims and survivors of violence who have shared their stories and personal insights with the Council. We have learnt much from their knowledge and experience.

We particularly thank all those who made submissions; all those who attended consultations in every State and Territory; all those who participated in the six round-table discussions: the judiciary and legal experts; the academics and experts working with perpetrators; officials and members of the Commonwealth and State and Territory advisory groups; and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representatives who joined the Council members at a special consultation with the the Hon. Jenny Macklin MP, Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, and the Hon. Tanya Plibersek MP, Minister for Housing and Minister for the Status of Women, at Parliament House in Canberra.

We also thank the workers in the field, service providers, professional groups, researchers, academics and governments for their time; their openness and willingness to learn from, and challenge, past ways of working. We thank them for their readiness to explore new ideas and approaches with the Council that should improve the effectiveness of services to victims and perpetrators, and, ultimately, stop the violence.

The Council also appreciates the specialist advice provided by:

• the Australian Domestic and Family Violence Clearinghouse;
• the Australian Centre for the Study of Sexual Assault;
• the Women’s Services Network;
• the National Association of Services Against Sexual Assault;
• former Tasmanian Attorney-General the Hon. Judith Jackson, who was appointed by Minister Plibersek as a Special Adviser to the Council’s Legal Issues sub-group;
• all the experts consulted.

A group of individuals acted as “critical friends” to the Council, reviewing and providing valuable feedback in the final stages of drafting, and we thank them for their timeliness, responsiveness and the quality of their contributions.

Finally, we thank the many people and organisations the Council visited, particularly in remote and rural areas of Australia, for welcoming us into their workplaces and communities; for sharing the unique challenges they experience; and for suggesting ways to restore the safety and wellbeing of women, children, families and communities.

All of these contributors shared decades of experience and acquired knowledge. Without their thoughtful contributions this Plan of Action would not have been possible.