Domestic violence support services brace for influx of calls on State of Origin night
Tonight’s State of Origin decider is cause for celebration for thousands of Aussies – but in its shadow sits a sombre reality.
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For thousands of Australians, tonight’s State of Origin decider is an occasion of exhilaration, mateship and – for one team – celebration. For women and children, it’s one of the most dangerous nights of the year.
First responders will be preparing. Helpline employees will be waiting for the phone to ring, with calls surging by more than 50 per cent in not just the hours, but days, that follow.
Queensland-based domestic and family violence helpline, DVConnect, offers support via its Womensline and Mensline for people experiencing and/or using violence. Director of Social Impact Michelle Royes said staff were bracing for a busy night: calls to its Mensline last year spiked on the night of each Origin game by as much as 71 per cent compared to the monthly average. Calls to DVConnect’s Womensline also increased.
“However, we actually see the biggest increase on the day after the game,” Ms Royes said.
“Our call volume was 37 per cent higher than average the day after the first game last year. This trend is continuing in 2025, with our Mensline receiving a 27 per cent increase after the first game of the series compared to our monthly average … Staff are prepared for these spikes. We expect to respond to calls quickly, as we have across June – our response rate is currently high at 93 per cent.”
Similarly, CEO of Men’s Referral Service Phillip Ripper said that the national call centre “is always prepared to respond to an increase in demand around any major national sporting event”. Run by peak body No to Violence, the Men’s Referral Service is the national counselling, information and referral service for men in Australia using violent, abusive or controlling behaviours within their families or relationships.
‘Real people are behind these statistics’
The correlation between certain major sporting events and gendered violence is “well recognised”, Centre for Women’s Safety and Wellbeing CEO, Dr Alison Evans, said.
In 2018, La Trobe University analysed six years of NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOSCAR) data, finding that domestic assault rates increased by 40.7 per cent in the 12-hour window between 6pm and 6am on State of Origin nights. In Victoria, it’s a similar situation: police in 2019 experienced a 20 per cent increase in domestic violence call-outs over the weekend of the AFL Grand Final.
“Real people are behind these statistics. We should all be concerned about the high rates of women and children living in fear in our communities and be doing all that we can to prevent it,” she said. “Sporting clubs share this responsibility.”
Sport is not the sole cause of domestic and family violence. But the culture of excessive drinking and gambling, and normalisation of on-field aggression that surrounds these major events “can play a part in increasing the severity and frequency of violence already occurring”, Dr Evans said.
These major events are also “almost always sponsored by gambling and alcohol companies, meaning they are awash in advertisements for those companies”, Dr Evans added, a factor that is “highly disturbing, given the role” both factors can play in exacerbating violence.
Ms Royes agreed. “This promotion (during broadcasts and live events) normalises alcohol and gambling, which can undermine our efforts to make the games safer and more inclusive,” she said.
“It’s not just about domestic violence – it affects so many public health concerns. There is a significant opportunity for professional and community sport organisations to lead this change. They have the platform and the responsibility to do so.”
‘A powerful platform for cultural change’
At the elite level, most codes are trying to educate those within their sports – the NRL’s Voice Against Violence program, led by Our Watch, is the same organisation the AFL has recently partnered with. The NRL also implements the “Change the Story” framework in partnership with ANROWS and VicHealth, which includes a zero tolerance education program for juniors transitioning into seniors.
In May, the likes of Hugh Jackman, Eric Bana, Hamish Blake, Darcy Moore and Usman Khawaja lent their voices to ending family violence in a video projected to a full house of Origin fans before the first game of the series in Perth. Players from both the NSW and Queensland squads were also featured.
“Men who hold leadership positions, especially in an area that sees some of the worst of gendered violence, should feel compelled to be part of the push for change,” Chief Justice of the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia, Will Alstergren, who led the initiative, said.
“For Australians, sport is the perfect arena in which to start these conversations … In doing so, we hope to raise awareness, and to also prompt much more significant investment in the wraparound services that are supporting women and children who are victim-survivors of family violence, and also for men who are using violence, to help them capitalise on the opportunity to change their harmful behaviour.”
When sports organisations “take a visible, values-based stance against domestic and family violence”, Mr Ripper said, “it helps to break down stigma, promote help-seeking, and reinforce that violence is never acceptable”.
“The sporting field can be a powerful platform for cultural change,” he said.
‘Using violence is a choice’
Both Mr Ripper and Ms Royes stressed that these gestures alone won’t fix what has repeatedly been referred to by leaders, experts and industry stakeholders as a national emergency.
“Australia must take a broader, systemic approach to tackling domestic and family violence, including addressing the social conditions that can contribute to it, including gender inequality, alcohol, gambling, and societal attitudes reinforced in male-dominated spaces,” Mr Ripper said.
“Achieving this outcome requires systemic and large-scale transformation, underpinned by sustained investment in prevention and early intervention strategies that actively challenge harmful gender norms.
“It also requires increased support for interventions such as behaviour change programs, which support people using violence to accept responsibility and challenge their ways of thinking and behaving.
“Using violence is a choice and men need to be held accountable for the choices they make.”
The Men’s Referral Service offers trained counsellors who can work with men to provide free, non-judgemental support to help them understand their behaviour and what they can do to change.
Though awareness “has been increasing year on year … what we want now is for people who use violence to recognise their patterns of behaviour around different triggers, such as State of Origin”, Ms Royes said.
“Women need to be able to access safety when and how they need, whether that is through the police or services like DVConnect,” she said.
“There are wonderful people working across this sector, but we are stretched thin. One life lost to domestic and family violence is too many.”
Help is available at the Men’s Referral Service 24/7 365 days a year. Call 1300 766 491 or visit mrs.org.au.
Originally published as Domestic violence support services brace for influx of calls on State of Origin night
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