Family and domestic violence is devastating families and communities across Western Australia at alarming rates. It has serious and often ongoing impacts on women’s health including injuries, homicide and poor mental health, and exposes children and young people to trauma that can impact them for the rest of their lives.
While government leadership is critical, we cannot hope to achieve long-term success without community support and participation.
Ending family and domestic violence is everybody’s business.
On 22 July 2020, we launched a strategy to reduce family and domestic violence. Path to Safety: Western Australia’s Strategy to Reduce Family and Domestic Violence 2020 - 2030 sets out a clear whole-of-government and community plan for reducing and responding to this issue over the next decade.
The Strategy has been informed by data analysis, research, consultations across Western Australia, and work with experts from government, academia and the specialist family and domestic violence sector.
Our framework for change has four focus areas:
- work with Aboriginal people to strengthen Aboriginal family safety
- act immediately to keep people safe and hold perpetrators to account
- grow primary prevention to stop family and domestic violence
- reform systems to prioritise safety, accountability and collaboration.
The Strategy is supported by action plans that set out what needs to be done to achieve the long-term vision of all Western Australian’s living free from family and domestic violence.
The First Action Plan ran from July 2020 to June 2022, with an initial focus on actions to address the significant impact of COVID-19 on family and domestic violence in Western Australia.
A Family and Domestic Violence Taskforce (the Taskforce) was convened between September 2023 and March 2024 to help guide the State's efforts to address family and domestic violence. Informed by advice from the Taskforce, the Government has agreed to a program of system reform and committed approximately $169 million in vital services and supports.
