Australian Government’s 7 point plan to implement the Time for Action plan

The Australian Government has announced that it has a 7 point plan to implement the Time for Action report, in what is likely to be significant systemic change:

1. Invest $12.5 million for a new national domestic violence and sexual
assault telephone and online crisis service. The new service will be run
by professional staff and make active referrals to follow up services. The
new service will operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

2. Invest $26 million for primary prevention activities including $9 million to
improve the quality and uptake of respectful relationships programs for
school age young people and $17 million for social marketing focused on
changing attitudes and behaviours that contribute to violence.

3. Invest $3 million to support research on perpetrator treatment and the
greater harmonisation of Federal and State and Territory laws.

4. Work with the States and Territories through the Standing Committee of
Attorneys-General to:
a. Establish a national scheme for the registration of domestic and family
violence orders. This scheme will allow orders to be enforced across
State and Territory borders.
b. Improve the uptake of relevant coronial recommendations.
c. Identify the most effective methods to investigate and prosecute
sexual assault cases.

5. Develop a multi-disciplinary training package for lawyers, judicial officers,
counsellors and other professionals working in the family law system, to
improve consistency in the handling of family violence cases.

6. Ask the Australian Law Reform Commission to work with State and
Territory law reform commissions to examine the inter-relationship of
Federal and State and Territory laws that relate to the safety of women
and their children.

7. Establish the Violence Against Women Advisory Group to advise on the
National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women.