The federal government has defended its approach to a decade-long women's safety plan after initially only opening the consultation period for two weeks.
The timeframe drew a backlash from women's safety advocates, who criticised it for being too short during a pandemic and holiday period.
Former political staffer Brittany Higgins called out the federal government for being "breathtakingly disrespectful" after it set a two-week consultation period in the middle of January.
The national plan to end violence against women and children will span from 2022 to 2032.
"Two weeks to map out the next 10 years of the fight against gendered violence in Australia," Ms Higgins wrote in a Twitter post, which triggered a backlash over the timetable.
As the government extended the deadline to February 25, Minister for Women Marise Payne defended the window for consultation, saying the feedback period is part of an 18-month process.
"We have conducted comprehensive online public surveys, run a range of workshops and interviews including with victim-survivors and (held) our very extensive national summit on women's safety," she told Sydney radio station 2GB.
An open letter signed by prominent women's rights advocates, community leaders and union heads, had called for the consultation period to run for at least six weeks.
"The tiny window of consultation diminishes this issue to our society and is shallow and disrespectful to our country. We need this plan to succeed," the letter said.
"We are in the midst of a pandemic, and school holidays will not have ended prior to the consultation closing. We need the consultation period extended ... in order to give women and families affected by violence a time to meaningfully respond."
The Domestic Violence Crisis Service says it wants the plan to deliver a more inclusive approach to ending violence in the community by focusing on the voices of people with lived experience.
CEO Sue Webeck said the plan was a significant opportunity to help those impacted by domestic and family violence but needed to have "real and tangible budget commitments attached".
"We welcome a longer feedback period which will support meaningful participation from a sector which is already stretched due to the ever-increasing demand for our services as well as the impacts of the pandemic," she told AAP.
"But this all needs to be backed by funding which provides continuity of service provision but also the ability to respond to the emerging needs of the community."
Senator Payne said the government had committed record funding in the last federal budget to ensure a smooth transition from the current plan to the next one.
Labor criticised the government for showing disinterest in the voices of women and advocates, saying women and survivors have again had to fight to have their voices heard.
"This grossly inadequate deadline came amidst a national pandemic, an over-worked sector and exhausted workers, and in the middle of school holidays," social services spokeswoman Linda Burney said.
"This government never misses an opportunity to demonstrate its disinterest in the perspectives of Australian women."
But Senator Payne said the government was taking the issue very seriously.
"We are world leading in this and it is important we continue to work together across the country," she said.
"This problem is most definitely something which takes community and family and individual leadership as well."
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