Spotlight on Economic Abuse: a Literature and Policy Review

the legal frameworks affecting domestic and family violence and this is also a tertiary
intervention which is for “justice systems to work better together and with other systems”
(COAG 2010, p. 27). The establishment of the Australian Law Reform Commission inquiries
(ALRC 2011c; ALRC/NSWLRC 2010) and consideration of their recommendations are
identified as interventions in this area; relevant aspects of these are discussed in Section 5
of this paper.
Changes to legal definitions of domestic and family violence in some states and territories
are possibly some of the most significant developments in the policy landscape relating to
economic abuse. Broad policy frameworks that take a whole-of-government approach and
that take holistic approaches to domestic and family violence are also likely to be crucial for
this level of government as it is at the state and territory level where a range of programs
and services including justice, policing and legal assistance are provided and also where
many community services provided by the not-for-profit sector are funded and coordinated.
While most Australian states and territories have implemented some level of integrated
response to family violence in recent years the broadest policy response to violence against
women is probably that taken in Victoria where the government established a Statewide
Steering Committee to Reduce Family Violence, while the most comprehensive integration
of family violence responses has occurred in the smaller jurisdictions of Tasmania and the
Australian Capital Territory (ALRC/NSWLRC 2010).
Tertiary interventions that are part of integrated responses to family violence are targeted to
responding to women during crisis when safety concerns are at the fore. Domestic and
family violence strategies do not have a strong focus on women’s post-crisis and longer-term
needs. In Victoria a project involving a number of community sector agencies working with
women who have experienced domestic and family violence has considered the ongoing
and longer-term needs of women experiencing violence beyond crisis (Desmond 2011). This
project identifies desired outcomes of a post-crisis response as a reduction of instances of
women returning to violence, a reduction of women and children’s re-entry to crisis systems
and increased economic and social participation. A key component of a proposed model is
the provision of financial assistance and funding including to assist women build financial
security (Desmond 2011).
There has been considerable activity in relation to policy development in some states and
territories over the last decade, with recent policies and plans reflecting the development of
the National Plan. However, very recently there have also been changes in governments in
several states (New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria) and in two states (Victoria and
Queensland). These changes have been accompanied by significant budget cutbacks
meaning there may be some uncertainty as to the significance of recent state plans and
frameworks as key drivers of change. Existing plans to address violence against women in
Australian states and territories vary in the extent to which they include priorities and
strategies to address economic abuse. They include:
In New South Wales, a five‐year domestic and family violence action plan ‐ Stop the
Violence, End the Silence: NSW Domestic and Family Violence Action Plan (New
South Wales Department of Premier and Cabinet 2010) with actions across five
areas of prevention and early intervention: protection; safety and justice; provision of
services and support; building capacity; and data collection and research.
The Victorian Government’s 10 year A Right to Respect: Victoria's Plan to Prevent
Violence against Women 2010-2020 (State of Victoria 2010a) which identified the
key drivers of violence against women as unequal power relations between women
and men, adherence to rigid gender stereotypes and broader cultures of violence.
The framework aimed for broad engagement to change cultures through five key
settings of education and training: local government; health and community services;
sports and recreation; workplaces; and media, arts and popular culture. In early 2012
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