The Cost of Violence against women and their children 

6.1 Summary of findings

Table 13 summarises production-related costs in 2021-22 resulting from domestic violence against women and their children.

Without the Plan of Action interventions, production-related costs are estimated at $609 million in 2021-22. For every woman whose experience of violence is prevented as a result of the Plan of Action intervention in a particular year, $1,581 in production-related costs can be avoided. This equates to $61 million in reduced costs if levels of violence could be reduced by just 10 per cent

6.2 Category description

This category includes the costs of short- and long-term productivity losses associated with domestic violence. Short-term productivity losses include temporary absenteeism from paid and unpaid work and employer administrative costs, while long-term losses reflect a permanent loss of the worker (homicide and premature death). Access Economics estimated the total cost of lost productivity ⁵¹.

6.3 Cost and stakeholder breakdown

Without appropriate action to address violence against women and their children, production-related costs could reach $609 million in 2021-22. The main contributor to these costs is likely to be costs relating to homicide and premature death at 30 per cent of total costs, followed by victims/survivors’ absenteeism

Table 14 summarises who will bear the production-related associated with

Without appropriate action to address violence against women and their children, production-related costs in 2021-22 will be borne primarily by employers at $235 million (39 per cent). The community will also bear considerable costs of $172 million (28 per cent) followed by victims/survivors at $112 million

6.4 Plan of Action priorities

The Plan of Action advocates a range of actions designed to reduce production related costs associated with violence against women, for example, by ensuring that the Government’s response to the Commonwealth Parliament’s Gender Pay Equity Inquiry addresses the links with violence against women. This will be achieved by Women’s Ministers, nationally, make representation to the Gender Pay Equity Inquiry and the Pensions Review, asking that the interrelationship between violence against women, lack of economic independence and gender inequality be considered as part of their reviews, and addressed

50. All figures are in 2007-08 dollars.
51. Access Economics, The Cost of Domestic Violence to the Australian Economy: Part I and Access Economics, The Cost of Domestic Violence to the Australian Economy: Part II, 2004, viewed December 2008, p. 43.
52. All figures are in 2007-08 dollars.