In Australia, domestic violence (DV) is defined by the Family Law Act 1975. Each state and territory also has its own legislation, some of which broadens the scope of that definition, and terminology varies. It has been identified as a major health and welfare issue. Family violence occurs across all ages and demographic groups, but mostly affects women and children, and at particular risk are three groups: Indigenous, young and pregnant women.
Statistics are difficult to extract and assess, owing to the way they are collected and the fact that many go unreported, but a 2018 report by the AIHW revealed that one in six women and one in nine men were physically and/or sexually abused before the age of 15, and a 2016 survey of the data showed that one in six women and one in 20 men had experienced at least one incidence of violence from a current or former partner since the age of 15 (or 23 per cent men, 77 per cent women).
One case which achieved major media coverage, the murder of 11-year-old Luke Batty by his father in February 2014, led to a Royal Commission into Family Violence in Victoria. His mother, Rosie Batty , achieved national prominence by her campaigning on the issue, and had considerably influence on national public attitudes, philanthropy, government initiatives and funding, support services and police and legal procedures related to domestic violence in Australia. Another prominent case was the murder of Hannah Clarke and her children by her estranged husband in Queensland in 2020.
National legislation The Family Law Act 1975 defines domestic violence as "violent, threatening or other behaviour by a person that coerces or controls a member of the person's family, or causes the family member to be fearful".
The Act refers to acts of violence that occur between people who have, or have had, an intimate relationship in domestic settings. Domestic violence includes violence between partners of both sexes, including same-sex relationships. However, the term can be altered by each state's legislation, which can broaden the spectrum of domestic violence; for example in Victoria, where violence in family-like relationships, and witnessing any type of violence in the family, are also defined as a family violence. Terminology also varies from state to state, with some states using the terms "family violence", "domestic and family violence" or "domestic abuse".
Incidence and statistics Statistics are difficult to extract and assess, owing to the way they are collected and the fact that many go unreported. A 2013 NSW survey of 300 victims revealed that only around 50% reported the most recent incident to police, usually because of fear of revenge or further violence. The 2016 ABS Personal Safety Survey showed that around 95% of men and 80% of women who were victims of violence from their current partners had never reported it to police. Over time, however, numbers have increased, at least partly because more people are reporting it.
+Family violence recorded incidents in AustraliaRegionDate rangeDescriptionRecorded incidentsVictoria2015Family incidents74,385Queensland2014-15Domestic violence occurrences71,777NSW2014-15Domestic violence related incidents65,120Tasmania2014-15Family violence arguments and incidents4,410WA2014-15Domestic Assaults16,461ACT2014-15Family violence incidents reported2,876NT2015Domestic violence assaults3,970SA2016Domestic violence matters reported25,029Australia264,028
On average between 2010 and 2012, every 10 days a female died as a result of family violence, with a total of 75 over the period, while in 2015, females accounted for almost two thirds (65%) of all victims of FDV–related homicide in Australia in 2015 (103 victims)
In 2014, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) recorded 95 victims of family and domestic violence-related homicides. This statistic included all family related homicide victims including children, men and women. With the largest numbers of victims in Victoria (32), followed by New South Wales (30).
Between 2014 and 2015, 2,800 women and 560 men were hospitalised after being assaulted by a spouse or partner.
As a total of figures reported by each state and territory using data collected for a year each spanning the years 2014 and 2016, there were 264,028 domestic violence incidents reported and recorded by police.
According to the Personal Safety Survey by the ABS in 2016, 1.7% of women and 0.8% of men surveyed reported experiencing violence from an intimate partner in the previous 12 months. However, 82.1% of women and 97.2% of men who had experienced violence from a current partner never contacted the police, and 46% of women and 68% of men did not seek advice or support from any source, with the most common reasons being thought they could deal with it themselves, not serious enough to see help and did not want or need help.
An ABC Fact Check (2016) pointed out that "the national dataset is not able to identify the frequency or severity of victims' experience of violence, a shortcoming that could obscure substantial differences in how men and women experience of domestic violence in Australia". Its survey of the data showed that one in six women and one in 20 men had experienced at least one incidence of violence from a current or former partner since the age of 15 (or 23 per cent men and 77 per cent women).
A 2016 paper reported that from 121,251 domestic violence incidents recorded over a two-year period in Victoria, more than 21% involved alcohol by either or both parties.
A report by Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) in 2018, entitled Family, domestic and sexual violence in Australia, noted that while family violence occurs across all ages and demographic groups, it mostly affects women and children, and at particular risk are Indigenous, young and pregnant women. The report revealed that 1 in 6 (approximately 1.5 million) women and 1 in 9 (approximately 992,000) men were physically and/or sexually abused before the age of 15, and 1 in 5 (1.7 million) women and 1 in 20 (428,000) men had been sexually assaulted and/or threatened since the age of 15. It reported that 72,000 women, 34,000 children and 9,000 men employed homelessness services in 2016–17 due to domestic violence. Text may have been copied from this source, which is available under a Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.
A follow-up report published in 2019 by AIHW looked at the impact of family, domestic and sexual violence among vulnerable groups, including children, older people, people with disability, LGBTIQ+ people, and Indigenous Australians. Text may have been copied from this source, which is available under a Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.
In the wake of the murder of Hannah Clarke and her children by her estranged husband in 2020, it was revealed that between 2000 and 2019, an estimated 1,038 Australian children were bereaved by domestic homicide–the child's mother was murdered, and women had either left or were in the process of leaving their partner.
A 2020 government document citing the 2016 ABS report states that one in four women and one in 13 men have experienced at least one incident of violence by a current or former partner since the age of 15, and the same proportion of women, but one in six men had experienced emotional abuse since that age.
Funding and counter-measures
1990s In 1996, the ABS held a national survey entitled "Women's Safety Survey", which provided the first comprehensive national data on all forms of violence against women.
In 1997, John Howard, then prime minister of Australia, brought together the heads of all states and territories and acknowledged the domestic violence phenomena across Australia and set to work together to resolve the issue. In the same year, the Commonwealth Government of Australia committed to test preventative measures and practices to address domestic violence. The program was called "Partnerships Against Domestic Violence" and was funded until 2003. Along with this funding, Centrelink started providing emergency crisis payments to women who were victims of domestic violence.
During that same year, the federal government established the Partnerships programme, which provided for each state and territory for the Supported Accommodation Assistance Programme, providing transitional support and accommodation to homeless people, many of whom were women escaping domestic violence.
By 2016 the Partnerships programme had sponsored more than 100 projects to explore practices at local, regional and national levels. Those projects included development of competency standards, worker training, research into domestic violence, community awareness products and better coordination systems between police and the justice system. The program also established the Australian Domestic Violence Clearinghouse, which gathers research and publications from each state and territory of Australia and internationally.
In 1997–2001, the National Indigenous Family Violence Grants Programme was initiated by the government, providing A$6 million over the 4-year period. The grant was aimed at helping local Indigenous communities to reduce family violence. They were assisted by a mentoring team which provided advice on project management, self-documentation and self-evaluation.
2000s In 2001 the government established the National Initiative to Combat Sexual Assault (NICSA) with funding of A$16.5m over four years and administered by the Office of the Status of Women. In 2004–2005, an additional A$6.7m was granted to NICSA.
Between August and December 2005, the ABS conducted another Personal Safety Survey. They interviewed 16,400 people in all states and territories. The release of the survey findings on 21 Aug 2006 included comparison to the 1996 Women's Safety Survey. The findings showed that the physical threat had dropped significantly from 1996 to 2005.
In March 2009, the Department of Social Services released an economic report entitled The Cost of Violence against Women and their Children. The report revealed that between 2002 and 2003, the cost of domestic violence was estimated at A$8.1 billion. The report also showed that if no action were taken against this phenomenon, by 2021–2022 the figure would double, amounting to A$15.6 billion, with the largest contributor being pain, suffering and premature mortality, estimated at A$7.5 billion.
2010s The first National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children 2010–2022 (National Plan) was established by the Commonwealth Government and all state and territory governments of Australia.
In July 2013, Natasha Stott Despoja was the founding chair of Our Watch, then named Foundation to Prevent Violence Against Women and their Children. A joint initiative of the Victorian and Commonwealth governments, the organisation is based in Melbourne.
The Luke Batty case in February 2014 and subsequent campaigning by his mother, Rosie Batty , led to widespread publicity. Her advocacy had considerably influence on national public attitudes, philanthropy, government initiatives and funding, support services and police and legal procedures related to domestic violence in Australia. Batty became Australian of the Year in 2015.
On 16 May 2014, Australia's National Research Organisation for Women's Safety (ANROWS), an independent, not-for-profit research organisation, was established under the National Plan.