‘Lives lost, families broken’: Minns announces $230m in domestic violence funding

The Minns government will invest $230 million to address both the cause and effect of violence against women via a package of reforms that includes the statewide rollout of a program aimed at allowing victims of domestic violence to stay in their own home rather than flee violent partners.

On Monday, the government will announce the funding following a public outcry after the alleged murder of 28-year-old mother Molly Ticehurst by her former partner, a broader spike in domestic violence-related assaults and a rise in demand for services.

The funding includes tens of millions of dollars in extra funding for domestic violence support and prevention. Almost $50 million will go towards the expansion of the Staying Home Leaving Violence program, which aims to allow victims of domestic violence to remain in their own homes through increased security such as CCTV and duress alarms, while also helping with rent, groceries and other measures.

Another $48 million will be spent on an increase in funding for specialist staff who support children accompanying their mothers to women’s refuges, including support for mental health. As well, $24 million will go towards an increase in domestic violence support staff working within the justice system.

On the prevention side, the government will spend another $38 million developing NSW’s first primary prevention strategy to deal with causes of domestic, family and sexual violence, and $8.1 million spread to develop a pilot program to teach young people about healthy relationships.

NSW Premier Chris Minns and Housing Minister Rose Jackson at the march against violence towards women in Sydney last Saturday.Credit: Getty

The bulk of the funding — including for the Staying Home, Leaving Violence program — will be spread over four years.

Missing from the reform package is any mention of a royal commission into the scourge of violence against women.

The government says it intends to undertake further long-term reforms to prevent domestic, sexual and family violence in NSW and Minns has kept open the option of a root-and-branch inquiry into the issue. But senior government figures stressed both privately and publicly the need for immediate action on an issue that has prompted public outcry.

In a statement, Minns said the funding was an acknowledgment that “too many lives have been lost and too many families have been broken because of domestic and family violence”.

“It is a blight in our communities, and it is a problem that deserves our government’s concerted attention and response,” he said. “We cannot accept the status quo.”

“This funding announcement is an important step to doing better, to recognising that domestic violence supports need to be applied not just from a crisis response perspective, but with an eye to disrupting the cycle of domestic and family violence early and permanently.”

However, the government is yet to say what it will do on criminal justice reforms. Though changes to bail laws are likely — Minns will say on Monday that the government has set aside $45 million for justice reforms — the government intends to wait for advice from the NSW Crown Advocate due later this month before announcing changes.

“In the coming weeks, we will confirm and announce the details of $45 million to improve bail laws and justice system responses, ensuring we are reviewing domestic violence supports and systems from every angle,” Attorney-General Michael Daley said.

“NSW needs a co-ordinated approach across multiple fronts to disrupt domestic violence. That is what this suite of funding initiatives is designed to achieve.”

Missing also from the announcement is any additional funding for crisis accommodation, despite NSW Housing Minister Rose Jackson identifying it as a key problem. The Sydney Morning Herald revealed last week that the crisis has become so bad in parts of regional NSW that women fleeing domestic violence are being housed in tents and one shelter has been forced to set up a secure car park, so women can sleep safely.

A 2022 evaluation of the Staying Home Leaving Violence program found the broader housing crisis was “the biggest barrier across regional NSW” to the program’s success.

“How do you try to increase safety in a home when there’s just no housing available?” one service provider was quoted as saying in the evaluation report.

If you or anyone you know needs support, you can contact the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service on 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732), Lifeline 131 114, or Beyond Blue 1300 224 636. The men’s referral service is on 1300 766 491.

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