Consultation for Australia’s first Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Action Plan to End Violence against Women and Children is now open.
The Action Plan will support work undertaken by Australian, state and territory governments on the recently released National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-2023.
The National Plan provides the foundations for a whole-of-society approach to ending gender-based violence in one generation. The National Plan commits to working with victim-survivors and advocates to inform policies and solutions.
Clear actions to implement the National Plan will be outlined in two supporting 5-year Action Plans and a dedicated Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Action Plan. These Action Plans will show the steps the federal, state and territory governments will take to address the focus areas in the National Plan.
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Action Plan is being developed in genuine partnership with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Council on family, domestic and sexual violence. This puts into practice one of the key objectives under the National Plan, to “Listen to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices”.
The Government has committed a significant funding investment to deliver the Action Plan. It confirms the Government’s strong commitment to urgent action towards addressing the unacceptable rates of violence against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and children.
The Action Plan will embed the strength of culture, traditional knowledge, families and community in its design. It will be outcomes-focused and aligned to the Priority Reforms under Closing the Gap, and the priorities of the National Plan. This Action Plan will focus on addressing immediate needs and will lay a strong foundation to support ongoing and long-term change. Approaches will be community led, culturally safe, strengths based and healing informed.
We all have a role to play in ending violence in our communities. To participate in the consultation, visit: www.engage.dss.gov.au
For more information, visit: www.dss.gov.au/ending-violence
