The ACT government has launched a sweeping 10-year roadmap to end domestic, family and sexual violence, calling it "a national crisis".
Minister for Women and Prevention of Domestic, Family, Sexual Violence Dr Marisa Paterson on Tuesday night, May 26, unveiled the ACT Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Strategy 2026-2036, alongside its first action plan which includes the government's long-term plan to prevent violence, improve responses, and strengthen accountability.
A statement said the strategy combines the ACT Government's past commitments and future ambition into a single, coordinated whole-of-government and whole-of-community approach.
"[The approach] includes contemporary understandings of domestic and family violence and best practice responses; the importance of distinct, trauma-informed responses to sexual violence; the need to recognise children as victims in their own right; real accountability for people who use violence; and the role of harmful gender stereotypes as key drivers of violence," the statement said.
It said the 2026-27 budget would provide $3.6 million over four years to progress foundational system infrastructure.
This would include resourcing over three years to establish a domestic, family, and sexual violence sector to provide advocacy, coordination and develop the workforce across services, including Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations.
The money will also be used to fund a dedicated information sharing coordinator role for four years, and allow for two years of targeted training to "operationalise" an updated risk assessment and management framework.
Additionally, funding will be directed to Women's Health Matters, an independent organisation, to develop a model for primary prevention infrastructure in the ACT.
The government said more than 40 per cent of women reported experiencing physical and/or sexual violence since the age of 15, while more than 61 per cent of LGBTIQA+ people report experiencing intimate partner violence over the course of their life.
"The rate and severity of violence against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and children remains disproportionately high," the statement said.
"This violence is highly gendered, with men responsible for the vast majority of violence against men, women, gender diverse people and children."
Dr Paterson said the government was backing the strategy with "targeted new investment" to strengthen system foundations, alongside continuous funding for frontline services that support victim survivors and work with those who use violence.
"Ending violence is a priority shared across all Australian governments, but responsibility does not rest with government alone. Achieving lasting change requires urgent, coordinated, and sustained action across the entire community - an ambition this action plan seeks to drive forward," she said.
Chief Minister Andrew Barr said the government's long-term plan set a unified direction to prevent violence, better support victim survivors, and bring lasting cultural change.
"It explicitly recognises the disproportionate impact of violence on LGBTIQA+ people and commits to ensuring our responses are inclusive, culturally competent and tailored to the needs of all members of our community," he said.
He said Dr Paterson's leadership and commitment brought together a strategy based on evidence and community voices for system-wide reform.
