National vision to end violence against women and children

The Palaszczuk Government has today welcomed the release of a new national plan to end violence against women and children within a generation.

Minister for Women and Minister for the Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence Shannon Fentiman said the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022–2032 will set the foundation for governments to implement frameworks and policies to end gender-based violence.

“The National Plan sets out an ambitious 10-year vision ,” Minister Fentiman said.

“Everyone deserves to live free from fear and feel safe at home, work, school, in the community, and online.

 “We know that violence against women and children is fundamentally driven by gender inequality and disrespect.

“That is why the National Plan outlines policies and initiatives to advance gender equality and address other forms of discrimination in every part of society,” she said.

Minister Fentiman said the National Plan is the culmination of extensive consultation conducted over 2 years with victim-survivors, advocacy groups, frontline services, family, domestic and sexual violence organisations, and the public.

“The voices and experiences of victim-survivors have been key to developing the National Plan, and we are committed to keeping them at the centre of everything we do as we implement these reforms,” she said.

“The National Plan aligns with the extensive work we have been doing in Queensland to tackle domestic, family and sexual violence in our communities.

“In Queensland we are already undertaking historic reforms which has seen us invest almost $1 billion since 2015 to address domestic and family violence, including our $363 million package to deliver the recommendations made in the first report of the Women’s Safety and Justice Taskforce.

“This includes legislation introduced into Parliament last Friday to strengthen the definition of domestic and family violence and lay the foundations to criminalise coercive control.

The next step in the implementation of the National Plan is the development of the First Action Plan. A dedicated Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Action Plan will also be developed in the first half of 2023.

To coincide with the release of the National Plan Minister Fentiman today announced the Queensland Government will soon be releasing a new Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Prevention grants program.

“The Palaszczuk Government will soon be opening applications for one off grants, with a focus on delivering innovative initiatives to support the implementation of the new National Plan,” Minister Fentiman said.

“$3 million has been committed over two years under the Family, Domestic, Sexual Violence National Partnership Agreement.”