National Cabinet Update- September

I wanted to take a moment to update you on the important steps we're taking to keep women and children safe across Australia.

Since coming to office, ending violence against women and children has been a top priority for the Albanese Government. We have already committed over 4.7 billion package aimed at accelerating action to end violence against women and children in our communities.

This is not just about responding to incidents of violence - it's also about working together to prevent it from happening in the first place. National Cabinet agree to action across a range of areas:

Boosting Frontline Services: One of the most immediate needs is ensuring that women and children escaping violence have the support they need, when they need it. National Cabinet agreed to a new 700 million in new matched investments from the Commonwealth and state and territories.

Tackling High-Risk Perpetrators: We know that early intervention can save lives. That's why we're introducing new approaches to share information about high-risk perpetrators across jurisdictions. This means no matter where someone is in Australia, authorities will have the tools they need to respond effectively. We'll also be trialling new focused deterrence models and Domestic Violence Threat Assessment Centres to identify and intervene with high-risk perpetrators before violence escalates.

A Focus on First Nations Women and Children: National Cabinet committed to maintaining a central focus on missing and murdered First Nations women and children at the forefront of these efforts. It was agreed that all government commitments on gender-based violence must explicitly consider the needs and experiences of First Nations people, and be delivered in genuine partnership with First Nations communities.

Support for Children Exposed to Violence: It's devastating to think of the children who are caught in the middle of family violence. To help break the cycle of violence, the Commonwealth will start comprehensive work with sector exports to identify gaps in supports for children and young people and help design and implement new ways forward. While this work is underway, we're directing 3.9 billion in a new access to justice agreement that will support critical frontline legal services.

Importantly we've ensured the agreement is ongoing to provide certainty to the sector. We've also increased funding to include indexation, address pay parity and respond to demand for services, including for gender-based violence.

As I said to the staff when we were there, the work they do saves lives. I have so much gratitude for all they do to keep Canberrans safe and I'm proud to be a member of a government that is recognising just how essential these services are.

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If you or someone you know needs support or assistance, there are several services available that are just a phone call away.

1800RESPECT

Call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732

Chat online via 1800RESPECT.org.au

Or text 0458 737 732

No to Violence

ntv.org.au

Men's Referral Service

1300 766 491

13YARN

Call 13 92 76 (24 hours/7days)

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