The National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women - Immediate Government Actions April 2009 

The Government’s goal is to reduce all violence in our communities.

Sexual assault and domestic and family violence are among the most pervasive forms of violence.

The Government’s position on domestic violence and sexual assault is one of zero tolerance—one victim of violence is one too many. a

Sexual assault and domestic and family violence are crimes most often perpetrated by men against women. This violence is usually perpetrated by men whom women know, in their own home and often repeatedly.¹

One in three Australian women will report being a victim of physical violence and almost one in five will report being a victim of sexual violence in their lifetime, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.²

Approximately 350,000 women will experience physical violence and 125,000 women will experience sexual violence each year.³

Some groups of women experience higher rates of violence. These include Indigenous women,⁴ women with disabilities,⁵ women from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds,⁶ younger women and older women.⁷

Whatever the form violence takes, it has serious and often devastating consequences for victims, their extended families and the community.

Violence against women also comes at an enormous economic cost. New research released by the Government shows that each year violence against women costs the nation $13.6 billion.⁸ This figure is expected to rise to $15.6 billion by 2021.

Violence against women is preventable.

Governments and the community have made gains over time in addressing violence against women. Increased reporting, law reform and increased community awareness have made an impact.

Clearly there is still a need for more work in this area.

The Australian Government is leading the development of a National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women. The Plan will bring together the efforts of all levels of government, the nongovernment sector and the wider community. It will identify how the combined work of police, courts, legal systems, health and community services and education can contribute to a reduction in the levels of domestic violence and sexual assault.

1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (2005) Personal Safety Survey, ABS Cat. No. 4906.0, Canberra: Commonwealthof Australia.
2. Ibid.
3. Ibid.
4. ABS (2005); Mouzos, J. and Makkai, T. (2004) Women’s experiences of male violence: Findings from the Australian component of the International Violence Against Women Survey, Research and Public Policy Series, No. 56, Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology.
5. ABS (2005); Lievore, D. (2005a) ‘Prosecutorial Decisions in Adult Sexual Assault Cases’ Trends and Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice, Issue.1, p. 291.
6. ABS (2005).
7. Ibid.
8. KPMG (2009) The Cost of Violence against Women and their Children. Safety Taskforce, Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, Australian Government.