Outcome 13: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and households are safe

Target 13: By 2031, the rate of all forms of family violence and abuse against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and children is reduced by at least 50 per cent, as progress towards zero.

Minister responsible

Minister for Social Services, Minister for Women

Productivity Commission national progress against the target

The most recent data for this target is from 2018–19. This target remains a focus for data development under the Data Development Plan.

The path forward

The Commonwealth is committed to addressing the complex factors driving violence against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, children and communities, including the ongoing impacts of colonisation. The Commonwealth, state and territory ministers for women’s safety launched the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022–2032 (National Plan) on 17 October 2022. The National Plan includes specific consideration of family violence in the context of the experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and children. Implementation of the National Plan is a shared commitment between Commonwealth and state and territory governments.

The voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have been critical in informing the development of this National Plan, which embeds the National Agreement as one of the underpinning principles.

Under the National Plan, a dedicated Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Action Plan (Action Plan) is being developed, led by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Council on family, domestic and sexual violence (Advisory Council) in partnership with the Department of Social Services. The Action Plan will address the immediate safety needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, children and families as well as lay the foundation for longer-term structural change. The Advisory Council will work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders, Elders, communities, community-led organisations and governments to build effective pathways, services and responses for both victim-survivors and perpetrators of family violence.

Priority actions

Healing programs for First Nations families

From 2023 the Commonwealth will partner with local organisations in up to seven locations to design, deliver, and evaluate community-led, place-based, trauma-aware and culturally responsive healing programs for First Nations children and families who are impacted by family violence or at risk of engagement with the child protection systems. Through family-focused healing, the initiative will support First Nations families who have experienced violence to break the cycle of intergenerational trauma and family separation.

This initiative will form part of the new dedicated Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Action Plan (Action Plan) supporting the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-2032 (National Plan).

Standalone First Nations National Plan

The National Plan commits to delivering a future standalone First Nations National Plan for family safety which will explore solutions linked to the principles of truth‑telling and self‑determination. The First Nations National Plan will be a signature piece of policy that will guide a whole of society approach to addressing the unacceptable rates of violence against First Nations women and children. The development of the standalone First Nations National Plan will involve a consultative process that supports genuine partnership and shared decision-making as articulated in the National Agreement.

Building the evidence base

The Commonwealth has committed $31.6 million over five years to develop a new approach to measure progress against Outcome 13 as well as addressing data requirements to support understanding of the scope of injustices experienced by lost, missing and murdered First Nations women and children, and their families. It will form a significant part of the evidence-base on violence against women and children, and address the gap in data on violence experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Reducing violence against women and girls with disability

The Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability is investigating preventing and better protecting people with disability from experiencing violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation. This has included a focus on systemic drivers in a wide variety of settings for people experiencing intersectional discrimination, including the experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and children have a higher prevalence of disability and experience higher levels of violence than other Australians. The Commonwealth is investing $9.3 million over three years (2021–22 to 2023–24) to develop resources that aim to reduce violence against women and girls with disability, and improve service responses when violence occurs.

Specialised Family Violence Services

A two-year place-based trial of the Escaping Violence Payment is being established in the Cairns region by an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led organisation. The trial will provide specialised and culturally appropriate support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander victim-survivors of intimate partner violence. The trial objective is to provide financial assistance to support individuals to leave a violent intimate partner relationship and thereby reduce the barrier of financial insecurity that affects those experiencing family and domestic violence. The place-based trial will contribute to better understanding the specific needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people affected by intimate partner violence, attempting to establish a home free from violence to inform future policy responses.

The Commonwealth will commit a further $68.6 million over two years (2023–24 to 2024–25) for 16 Aboriginal community-controlled Family Violence Prevention Legal Service (FVPLS) providers to continue to deliver culturally safe legal and non-legal services to support First Nations victim-survivors of family and domestic violence and sexual assault.

The Specialised Family Violence Services (SFVS) program supports individuals, couples and families affected by family and domestic violence. Through the 2022–23 Budget, funding was extended for four Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations that provide culturally appropriate SFVS in the Northern Territory, with a total commitment of $3.79 million from 2022–23 to 2026–27.

A National Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Child Sexual Abuse

The Commonwealth has now commenced implementation of First Nations-specific measures under the National Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Child Sexual Abuse 2021–2030 (National Strategy), including place-based measures to support healing for First Nations victim-survivors of child sexual abuse and their families, and a program to improve disclosure experiences and referrals to specialist services. Under the Supporting Healing for Families measure, work has begun to co-design and deliver Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led, trauma-aware healing initiatives in five locations across Australia.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are a priority group under the National Strategy and consultation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is embedded in the design, implementation and evaluation of National Strategy measures. Work is underway to develop an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-led consultation mechanism to share clinical and therapeutic expertise and knowledge from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander experts working with children who have displayed harmful sexual behaviours.

Summary of new actions

*A full appendix of new and existing measures being undertaken by the Commonwealth to support Closing the Gap efforts is on the NIAA website, at Closing the Gap implementation measures.