Release of the Final Report of the COAG Advisory Panel on Reducing Violence against Women and their Children

The final report of the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) Advisory Panel on Reducing Violence against Women and their Children was provided to COAG on Friday, 1 April 2016.

In this report, the Advisory Panel recommends a new approach to achieve lasting change. The Panel’s Final Report includes 28 recommendations for COAG’s consideration, with innovative, practical and deliverable options for further joint Commonwealth, state and territory work to reduce violence against women and their children.

COAG supports, in-principle, the six areas identified by the Panel for further joint action:

• national leadership to challenge gender inequality and transform community attitudes;
• empowering women who experience violence to make informed choices;
• recognising children and young people as victims of violence against women;
• holding perpetrators to account for their actions and supporting them to change;
• providing trauma-informed responses to violence for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities; and
• providing integrated responses to keep women and their children safe.

Jurisdictions will consider the recommendations in each of these areas in developing the Third Action Plan of the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children 2010-2022 this year.

If you would like to be a part of Third Action Plan roundtable consultations, or have something specific to share in writing to inform the Third Action Plan, please email npsecretariat@dss.gov.au.