National Summit on Women’s Safety
This consultation is now closed.
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The National Summit on Women’s Safety on 6 and 7 September 2021 was an important part of a range of consultation activities that have been undertaken to inform the development of the National Plan to end violence against women and children (next National Plan). The next National Plan will replace the current National Plan to Reduce Violence Against Women and Their Children when it ends in mid-2022.
The Summit took what we know and what we have heard through consultations to progress a national conversation about what governments, organisations and individuals can do to prevent and address family and sexual violence. Summit delegates developed a Delegate Statement, which provides background information, summarises discussions at the Summit and presents the delegates priorities for the next National Plan. You can read the delegate statement here.
To ensure that all Australians are able to contribute to this important national conversation, we invite all interested individuals and organisations to provide written submissions based on the issues discussed at the Summit.
These issues are:
- improving outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
- experiences of the LGBTQIA+ community
- perpetrator interventions and working with men
- health and wellbeing responses
- legal responses including coercive control and national consistency
- protecting and supporting children
- technology and abuse – challenges and opportunities
- service delivery in regional and remote areas
- service delivery reform and innovation, and measuring success
- migrant and refugee experiences of family, domestic and sexual violence
- supporting women and children with disability
You may respond to one issue, several issues or all of them. Your responses will be considered by the Department of Social Services (DSS), the Office for Women (Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet) (OfW) and our consultation partners in developing the next National Plan.
This consultation opportunity builds upon previous consultations including:
- The House of Representatives inquiry into family, domestic and sexual violence
- A previous survey through DSS Engage – Developing the next National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children (now closed)
- Targeted virtual workshops held with experts in their fields
- Interviews and small group discussions investigating specific issues in detail.
If you have made a submission to any of these, you do not need to make a submission about the same issues through this consultation opportunity – your feedback is already being considered by DSS and OfW.
Language translations and braille versions of the survey were available upon request for this consultation.
For feedback or complaints, please email complaints@dss.gov.au
If you need assistance
Family, domestic and sexual violence can be difficult topics to discuss and your safety and wellbeing is important.
If you or someone you know needs help or support at any time, contact one of the below services:
- In an emergency call Triple Zero (000)
- 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732) for family, domestic and sexual violence matters
- Lifeline 13 11 14 for crisis support and suicide prevention
- Beyond Blue 1300 224 636 for support with anxiety, depression and suicide prevention
- MensLine 1300 78 99 78 for support for men with family and relationship concerns
- Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467.