28 March 2023

Homelessness

New Census data further demonstrates that homelessness among women is growing faster than homelessness among men. More than 122,000 people in Australia experienced homelessness on Census night, an increase of 5.2% from 2016. Women accounted for 81.7% of the increase.

Domestic and family violence is one of the main reasons that people become homeless. It is the number one reason why people ask for help from specialist homelessness services, with data from AIHW showing that 40 per cent of people seeking help from specialist homelessness services have experienced domestic and family violence. 

Reports from specialist domestic and family violence services are that the housing crisis has doubled the average length of stay for women and children in refuges due to a lack of exit options. Because of a lack of refuge spaces and other affordable housing options, women are left with two choices: stay with a violent partner or become homeless. 

If governments are serious about saving lives and ending domestic and family violence - which they say they are in the recent endorsement of the National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children - more needs to be done to create safe, affordable and accessible housing options. AWAVA is deeply disappointed at the decision to cut funding for domestic and family violence (and homelessness services) by $65 million.

The impact of this funding cut is estimated to result in the loss of a large number of specialist homelessness and family violence workers (approximately 650) across Australia. Funding cuts will impact the most vulnerable in our community. Services are already stretched, and less capacity to deliver services means more people will be turned away. 

The cuts make no sense. The federal government is increasing funds for buildings - which is most welcome - but reducing the capacity to staff them. We must ensure current service levels to the most vulnerable in our communities are maintained and increased, alongside more emergency, medium and long-term housing options.

Around the Country

• Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has provided detail on the constitutional reform and guiding principles associated with a Voice to Parliament, should this year’s referendum on a constitutionally enshrined Voice be successful.

• Listen to the Voice committee co-chair Marcia Langton describe the referendum as the most significant moment in Australia's post-Federation history.

• South Australia has become the first Australian jurisdiction to establish an Indigenous Voice to parliament, with premier Peter Malinauskas declaring it a “momentous” event.

• The Safe and Supported: First Action Plan 2023-2026 and the Safe and Supported: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander First Action Plan 2023-2026 have been released, representing a commitment from all Australian governments to build stronger futures for children.

• The trans flag will fly above the offices of the Victorian government with Premier Daniel Andrews saying "we'll always respect you".

• Neo-Nazis marched in the heart of Melbourne chanting “white power” and performed the Nazi salute on the steps of Victorian Parliament on Saturday morning at an anti-trans event in the city.

• In other appalling scenes, far-right Christian men, some wearing Christian Lives Matter T-shirts, set upon and attacked LGBTQI activists outside a church in Sydney where One Nation MLC Mark Latham was due to give a speech.

• A report by ACOSS and the University of NSW has found 60% of people on the jobseeker payment, 72% of people on the parenting payment and 34% of people on youth allowance live in poverty.

• The Greens are putting forward a change to the referendum machinery bill, to allow incarcerated people to vote in the referendum to allow an Indigenous Voice to Parliament.

• A new online chatbot has been launched to provide assistance to women experiencing racism in Australia. Maya' can provide in-time support and resources for First Nations women and those from diverse backgrounds.

• The family of Veronica Marie Nelson, a strong Gunditjmara, Dja Dja Wurrung, Wiradjuri and Yorta Yorta woman who died in custody in January 2020, are calling on the Victorian government to urgently reform the state’s bail laws.

• The NSW state election resulted in Labor’s women candidates running successful campaigns to make up the majority of new MPs in the new government.

Around the World

• The UN’s annual Commission on the Status of Women has ended with its outcome document highlighting key achievements. Despite progress on the conference’s theme, the women’s rights caucus said in a statement that fundamental issues remained including in relation to the protection of the human rights of LGBTQI people, as well as noting ‘the coordinated pushback from regressive governments against the advancement of the gender equality agenda witnessed in this year’s negotiations, attempting to roll back long standing agreements in the context of CSW’. 

• The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) have signed a new MOU to work together to strengthen joint efforts in promoting gender equality and meeting the specific needs of women and girls when addressing the world drug problem.

• Uganda’s parliament has passed sweeping antigay legislation that proposes tough new penalties for same-sex relationships and criminalises anyone identifying as LGBTQ.

• Japanese LGBTQ activists and rights groups have launched a civil “engagement group” to make policy proposals ahead of the Group of Seven summit in Japan to advocate for the adoption of anti-discrimination legislation. Japan is the only member of the Group of Seven advanced industrialised nations that lacks a law protecting the rights of LGBTQ people.

• The US government has announced a new office, the Office of Family Violence Prevention and Services (OFVPS), which is intended to reflect “the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to prioritising domestic violence prevention and addressing the intersections of domestic violence prevention work across the federal government”.

• Also in the US, the Justice Department has asked the Supreme Court to overturn a lower court decision that struck down a federal law that prohibits gun possession for individuals under domestic violence restraining orders. (In this context, Brookings University writes Can government protect women from domestic violence? Not if states do not follow up.)

• Britain’s biggest police force is institutionally racist, misogynist and homophobic, according to an independent review commissioned after a young woman was raped and killed by a serving officer.

• In the UK, in a sweeping change which was quietly introduced, hundreds of thousands of parents who rely on universal credit will be discouraged from providing day-to-day care for their children.

• The International Criminal Court has just issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia’s children’s rights commissioner, for the alleged crime of unlawfully deporting and transferring Ukrainian children from the occupied territories of the country to Russia.

• Human rights activists in Latin America hope that a historic court hearing over the case of a Salvadoran woman who was denied an abortion despite her high-risk pregnancy could open the way for El Salvador to decriminalise abortions – and set an important precedent across the region.

• The Brazilian government has reported that, in three weeks, more than 4,000 people have been arrested under Brazil’s Operation Átria, which combats violence against women.

Research and Reports

• Griffith University has published Victim-survivors’ views on and expectations for the criminalisation of coercive control in Australia: Findings from a national survey.

• Swinburne University of Technology and National Council of Single Mothers and their Children have published Financial Abuse: The Weaponisation of Child Support in Australia which draws on post-separation lived experience to demonstrate the insidious ways that the Australian Child Support Scheme can be used and abused to jeopardise the financial safety of recipient parents and their children.

• The European Commission has published Criminalisation of gender-based violence against women in European States, including ICT-facilitated violence.

• A new report released by the ACT's Human Rights Commision has revealed the shocking pervasiveness of racism throughout the territory's schooling system.

• The Islamophobia Register Australia’s flagship research report has revealed that 78% of victims of Islamophobia were women, while the majority of perpetrators were men (70%).

• The Australian Institute of Criminology has released Advancing child sexual abuse investigations using biometrics and social network analysis.

• The Close the Gap campaign report Strong culture, strong youth: our legacy, our future documents, through eight case studies, organisations’ and individuals’ work in communities to enrich the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and youth.

• The ACOSS and UNSW report Poverty in Australia 2023: Who is affected highlights the depth of poverty for people on income support, where households with women as the main income earner are almost twice as likely to experience poverty as those where men are the main income earner.

• The University of Sydney report, A Contributing Life: A Snapshot of the Value of Social Production, shines a spotlight on the unseen value Australians contribute to national prosperity in terms of social production (such as volunteering and informal care work) – value that traditionally lies outside of the boundary of gross domestic product.

• The University of Birmingham has published Protection from violence against women in Forced Displacement: Integrating religion into intersectional and socioecological approaches.

• Women majoring in science, technology, engineering and math fields are subjected to sexual violence at higher rates than their non-STEM counterparts, a new Georgia State University study suggests.

• Mehra, D., Srivastava, S., Chandra, M. et al. ‘Effect of physical mobility, decision making and economic empowerment on gender-based violence among married youth in India-SAWERA project’, BMC Public Health 23, 548 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-15421-4

Media

• The Guardian writes The voice referendum is a turning point. A yes vote will save lives. A no vote will invalidate them.

• ABC News writes Telling us we should be grateful to live in Australia overlooks the hardships and sacrifices of migration.

• The Intercept explains The Pentagon’s Obsession With Secrecy Protected A Marine Accused Of Sexual Assault.

• The Solomon Times asks Are Family Protection Orders Helping to Prevent Domestic and Family Violence in the Pacific Region?

• The Guardian discusses Lecherous abusers: why Artemisia Gentileschi’s Susanna reminded me of Paula Yates.

• In The Covid-19 Pandemic: Three Years In, Human Rights Watch reports on how government responses and actions have exacerbated social inequities and violated a slew of human rights.

• The Age writes ‘Jailing is failing’: How to fix a justice system that punishes disadvantage.

• The Guardian writes ‘It crucifies you every time’: the ‘crushing’ new tactic the church uses to block claims by abuse survivors.

• Listen to ABC PM where Survivors of forced adoption call for more support.

• Worldcrunch writes Populists With A Plan: Welcome To The Age Of Reactionism.

• Bowdoin examines El Salvador’s Uncomfortable Truths: Challenging Latin American Patriarchy.

• Feminism in India asks Do Public Festivals And Celebrations Enable A Culture Of Violence?

• Global Voices asks What is wrong with Azerbaijan’s mentality towards its women?

• The Trace writes Dangerous Homes: Guns and Domestic Violence Exact a Deadly Toll on Kids.

• The Hindustan Times writes Eliminating gender-based violence helps build economies.

Grants

• The Improving Multidisciplinary Responses (IMR) program is designed to centre First Nations cultural knowledge in the design and delivery of the child and family services. The program will address the risk factors for neglect and abuse in the home, in partnership with parents and carers. The Australian Government is inviting organisations to apply for a grant to deliver services under the program. Applications close on 5 April 2023.

Surveys and Consultations

• Consultation - by way of a survey - for Australia’s first Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Action Plan to End Violence against Women and Children is now open until 31 March 2023. This survey seeks input on topics being considered for the Action Plan and views on the foundations the Framework provides. The survey should be completed after reading the consultation guide.

• ACOSS has put together an open letter from the community sector and allies urging the government to raise the rate of income support to reduce poverty and inequality in Australia.

• Deakin University and WESNET are inviting domestic and family violence workers to participate in a survey that is exploring the impacts of using home CCTV with victim-survivors of domestic and family violence. Participants will not be remunerated for completing the survey but will be provided an honorarium donation to their organisation.

• Have you experienced tech-facilitated coercive control? Has a partner abused you using text messages or Facebook? Have they tracked you using GPS tracking apps? If you have experienced this type of abuse and sought safety and justice support, researchers from Monash, RMIT and WESNET would like to speak to you. Contact [email protected]

• The University of Melbourne’s KODY Project - focussing on an all-of-family program in family violence & substance misuse - is currently cataloguing initiatives that lie at the intersection of DFV and AOD. If you are aware of relevant responses, programs, policies or plans, please email [email protected].
  

Calls and Submissions.

• The Australian Government has developed a discussion paper to support discussion and reflection on gender equality in Australia and inform the National Strategy to Achieve Gender Equality. Public comments are invited until 19 April 2023.

• The Australian Government has released a discussion paper with further detail about the Early Years Strategy which will guide early years policies and programs across the Commonwealth for the next decade to ensure children aged 5 and below have the best start in life. Submissions to the strategy close on 30 April 2023.

• A parliamentary joint standing committee is conducting a NDIS General Issues Inquiry to identify broad systemic issues relating to the implementation, performance, governance, administration and expenditure of the NDIS. Submissions are due by 30 June 2023.

• The Australian Bureau of Statistics is inviting submissions on new topics for inclusion in the 2026 Census. Six topics have already been listed for possible inclusion, but the ABS is still seeking submissions for other topics. For more information visit the website here.

Events

• The National Aboriginal Child Safety and Domestic Violence Summit 2023: Strong Families, Safer Children is being held on 29-31 March 2023 in Adelaide and will bring together guest speakers to stimulate new and innovative pathways to address the national issue of child safety, domestic and Aboriginal family violence across Australia.

• The Council to Homeless Persons is launching the March 2023 “Safe at Home” edition of the Parity journal with a sector forum on Wednesday, 5 April 2023 from 10.00am-1.00pm. The event is being held at the Queen Victoria Women’s Centre in Melbourne, but is also accessible virtually.

• AIFS is hosting a webinar Online and digital approaches to support wellbeing in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families on Wednesday, 26 April 2023, 1:00pm – 2:00pm (AEST).

• The Wiyi Yani U Thangani (Women's Voices) National Summit Summit will be held over three days from 9-11 May 2023, with an additional one-day Youth Forum on 8 May 2023. The Summit will bring together over 200 First Nations women delegates from across Australia, for decision-making, innovation and celebration.

Resources and Guidelines

• WESNET has been working with Tinder Australia to create a Dating Safety Guide that will help survivors and the general population with learning about the safety features available in the Tinder Dating App.

• The Australian Institute of Criminology has published How to implement online warnings to prevent the use of child sexual abuse material.
• The UN Population Fund has issued Guidance on the Safe and Ethical Use of Technology to Address Gender-based Violence and Harmful Practices: Implementation Summary.
• Our Watch has developed guidance material Growing with change: Developing an expert workforce to prevent violence against women.
• The Fair Work Ombudsman has developed a number of resources aimed at helping workplaces access and support this leave including: comprehensive website information on the leave entitlements, including hypothetical examples to show the leave in practice; updated resources including the Employer Guide to family and domestic violence and a new Family and domestic violence leave fact sheet.

• Our Watch’s latest resource - the Prevention toolkit for local government - shows the key role that local government across Australia can play in preventing violence against women.  

• The Respect@Work Council has published new guidelines on the use of confidentiality clauses in settling workplace sexual harassment cases, and good practice indicators to assist organisations to address workplace sexual harassment. Both sets of guidelines have been published on the Respect@Work website.

• The Human Rights Commission, in collaboration with the Department of Treaties and Law (DTL) at the Lao Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has released an eLearning module about human rights in the context of emergencies which is available in both Lao and English.

Training and Education

• WESNET is offering technology safety training for SADFV professionals, for dates and training descriptions please visit https://techsafety.org.au/training.

• Applications are now open to study the Graduate Certificate in Domestic & Family Violence at RMIT University in 2023. Co-designed with a sector advisory committee, and a recognised qualification in the Victorian family violence sector - this Graduate Certificate is open to people who either have: 5-years relevant work experience, or an undergraduate degree.

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*Articles published do not necessarily reflect the views of AWAVA or WESNET and are included as items of interest only.

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We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and culture. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.