“Domestic and family violence and sexual assault are not merely personal or unseen problems, they should be regarded as public concerns that affect families, friends, communities, workplaces, and, ultimately, the nation. The accumulation of case upon case of violence against women and their children is a burden which our society must not sustain. Victims and their following generations must be helped to ensure safer futures not just for individuals but for the conscience of the nation.”
Time for Action: The National Council’s Plan for Australia to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children 2009–2021
Time for Action makes 11 recommendations to the Australian Government to achieve, in partnership with State, Territory and Local Governments, the delivery on its vision, six outcomes and 25 strategies. Consensus on 117 actions, borne from Council’s comprehensive dialogue with the community, should be delivered through four three-year implementation plans to 2021 to achieve all six interdependent outcomes
Council proposes that its Plan be taken to the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) for implementation, given violence against women is a national problem, a complex problem, and one that requires multiple portfolios to collaborate to achieve strategic outcomes in the pursuit of social change.