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Commonwealth, state and territory
and local governments
The Commonwealth and state and territory governments
demonstrated international leadership when together they
produced a 12-year National Plan with broad-based cultural
and systemic change at its core. The Second Action Plan
(2013–2016) of the National Plan commits governments to
whole-of-community action to prevent violence through:
1. Supporting communities to prevent, respond to and
speak out against violence, through local government,
businesses, community and sporting groups, schools
and key institutions.
2. Improving media engagement on violence against
women and their children, and the representation
of women experiencing violence, at a national and
local level.
3. Taking the next step to reduce violence against women
and their children by promoting gender equality across
a range of spheres, including women’s economic
independence and leadership.
4. Supporting young people through The Line campaign
and by addressing issues relating to the sexualisation
of children.
5. Building on the findings of the respectful relationships
evaluation, to strengthen the design and delivery of
respectful relationship programs, and implement them
more broadly.
6. Incorporating respectful relationships education
into the national curriculum.
7. Enhancing online safety for children and young people.
For these actions to have measurable and sustainable impacts
across the population, a program of work at all levels of
government and in each jurisdiction is required that:
• has mutually reinforcing activities at all levels
from policy, legislative and institutional reform to
community and organisational level programs and
communications campaigns
• coordinates sustained and comprehensive programs
across multiple settings such as education, sports,
workplaces and the media
To support and sustain the commitments under the National
Plan, governments at all levels have a critical role to play
in leading and coordinating prevention activity in their
jurisdictions across sectors and settings and over time.
The evidence base delivered by Australia’s National
Research Organisation for Women’s Safety, itself an
initiative of all governments under the National Plan, can
help inform and guide future decisions on policy reform and
coordination for prevention of, and response to, violence
against women and their children.
The Commonwealth Government has a key role to play in
coordinating and maintaining cross-jurisdictional leadership,
and in establishing robust and agreed communication
mechanisms that allow for a coherent and shared approach
from the national to local levels.
Under the National Plan, the Commonwealth Government
has lead responsibility in certain settings and portfolio areas
crucial to prevention, such as employment, communications
and the arts, tertiary education, various social services
and – through engagement and regulatory mechanisms
– advertising and media. It has shared responsibility with
states and territories in many others – such as education and
training, health, sports and the arts – where it can provide
resources, guidance and in some cases legislative or
regulatory support to promote consistent policy and practice
across jurisdictions that is in line with evolving evidence.
State and territory governments develop their own
jurisdictional plans as part of their responsibility under the
National Plan, reflecting national directions, but tailored
and responsive to their jurisdiction’s needs. This level of
government plays a lead role in crucial prevention settings,
such as early childhood, primary and secondary education,
family and community services, health, sport and industrial
relations, and with different groups through portfolios such
as Aboriginal affairs, multiculturalism or disability services.
Primary prevention policies or plans that support the
National Plan through a long-term, multifaceted agenda for
social change within the state or territory (beyond a ‘list of
projects’) are most likely to have sustainable impact. These
will need to engage the whole of government and ideally be
undertaken with bipartisan support.
• engages people at different stages of the life course
such as children and young people or new parents
• includes tailored activity for different social
and demographic groups.
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