Election 2025: Coalition claims its domestic violence initiatives ‘10 times bigger’ than Labor’s

Peter Dutton has vowed to deliver an extra $90m in funding to curb soaring rates of domestic violence across the country, while implementing a register to track perpetrators.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton in Perth on Wednesday. Picture: Richard Dobson / NewsWire

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Peter Dutton has vowed to deliver an extra $90m in funding to curb soaring rates of domestic violence across the country, while implementing a register to track perpetrators and make it illegal to use a mobile phone or computer network to cause a family member or intimate partner to “fear for their safety”.

In a wide-ranging suite of measures to address the scourge of violence, which experts estimate has affected one in five women, the Coalition will also increase crisis helpline support for victim-survivors.

“As a former police officer who attended numerous domestic violence call-outs, I know the lifelong impact of these horrific crimes,” the Opposition Leader said. “A government I lead will be focused on delivering real change so that families, women and children are safer and we end family and domestic violence.”

The announcement seeks to clearly differentiate between the opposition and Labor, with Mr Dutton claiming his election commitment is also more than 10 times bigger than Labor’s only election commitment of $8.6m to “boost innovative perpetrator responses”.

Other policies that would be implemented under the $90m Coalition fund include the funding of specialist early and behavioural intervention programs, tougher monitoring measures, developing uniform national knife laws, lifting the threshold for fast-tracking settlements between couples without children in the family law courts and improving online safety for women and children.

The Coalition would also implement a National Domestic Violence Register that would allow police across Australia and relevant agencies to access and share information about a person’s previous family violence convictions to better manage risks.

Opposition Deputy Leader Sussan Ley said the Coalition’s approach would “stand in stark contrast” to that of the Albanese Labor government, which is not on track to deliver its promises.

“We have seen a lack of urgency in addressing family and domestic violence by the Labor government,” she said.

“We know violence can be at the end of a chain of events across someone’s life.

“And we know that with the right decisions and the right interventions we can break the cycle and save victim-survivors not only from the most extreme end of violence, but also from disrespectful behaviour and coercion.

“If we get this right our society will be a safer, happier and healthier place.”

Labor this week sought to spruiked its track record on addressing domestic violence, declaring it had spent more than $4bn for women’s safety initiatives, boosting frontline services, delivering financial and housing support for women escaping violence, and much-needed law reform.

“We know there is much more to do,” Women’s Minister Katy Gallagher said on Tuesday.