The Royal Commission has delivered its final report and recommendations.
The Commission looked into five key areas, aligned with the National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children 2022–2023:
- Prevention
- Early intervention
- Response
- Recovery and healing
- Coordination.
The Office for the Prevention of Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence, in partnership with the Department of the Premier and Cabinet, is leading the development and coordination of the South Australian Government’s response plan.
South Australian Government submission to the Royal Commission into Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence
In October 2024, the South Australian Government made a whole-of-government submission to the Royal Commission.
This submission included input from many departments and agencies that work to prevent and respond to domestic, family and sexual violence. We thank all contributors for their insights, evidence and summaries of ongoing efforts.
Executive summary
South Australia envisions a future where everyone, particularly women and children, can thrive in a safe and inclusive community. At the heart of this vision lies an ambitious shared commitment: to eradicate gender-based violence within a single generation. This vision is shared with The National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-2032. The South Australian Government is deeply committed to this cause and to working in genuine partnership with those who hold the wisdom of service practice and lived experience.
Despite the dedicated efforts of service providers and government agencies, we face several key challenges in our fight against domestic, family and sexual violence. The current system is hampered by fragmentation and lack of coordination. Data collection, measurement, and evidence-gathering are inconsistent, making it difficult to track progress, measure outcomes, and identify emerging trends effectively.
Investment is lacking across the four domains of prevention, early intervention, response, and recovery and healing, with an overemphasis on crisis-driven responses. We acknowledge that the current system is focused on women leaving their homes and is predominantly a homelessness risk response. This imbalance leaves significant gaps in long-term prevention and healing strategies. Moreover, access to services is limited by narrow eligibility criteria as well as cultural and geographic barriers.
The system also grapples with insufficient focus on men and boys, both as potential perpetrators and in prevention efforts. Support for children as victim-survivors in their own right is severely limited, failing to fully recognise and address their unique needs. The response to sexual violence, particularly outside of intimate partner relationships, requires strengthening and better integration into the broader domestic, family and sexual violence framework.
Cultural safety and responsiveness remain critical issues, especially for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. The lack of tailored, culturally appropriate services with an intersectional lens leaves many vulnerable groups underserved. Additionally, there is limited focus on addressing contributing factors such as mental health issues, substance misuse, and financial hardship. Housing insecurity severely undermines the effectiveness of interventions across all domains. The lack of safe, accessible housing options for victim-survivors and perpetrators alike limits the scope and impact of support programs.
Recognising these challenges, this submission outlines the case for a ‘whole of systems' approach, repositioning the South Australian Government as a system steward. The issues that require particular attention for this approach to be successful are outlined in the following chapters of the submission. The principles encompass:
- fostering a whole-of-community response
- creating a connected service system
- improving data and evidence gathering
- investing across all domains and the workforce
- enhancing service accessibility and responsiveness
- focusing on men and boys
- recognising children as victim-survivors in their own right
- rethinking our approach to sexual violence
- ensuring culturally safe and responsive services for Aboriginal communities, women and children
- adopting an intersectional lens for inclusive services
- addressing contributing factors
- tackling housing insecurity.
Looking ahead, the government is focused on expanding beyond crisis responses to develop a more comprehensive approach. Pilot programs developed with Commonwealth funding are already exploring these areas, with evaluations set to inform future program development, although restrictions on the application of these funds and the prevalence of year-to-year funding models limit their effectiveness and hinder sector growth and sophistication.
We acknowledge that primary prevention of domestic, family and sexual violence must be a significant focus, building on successful existing work and expanding the knowledge base on effective strategies for lasting community change. South Australia does not currently have a statewide prevention strategy with underlying funding that could be used to lead a consistent approach to primary prevention. The government continues to look for ways to work with the sector to deliver innovation and explore expanded responses.
The insights of the Royal Commission will be crucial in shaping the path forward and implementing best practice responses to domestic, family and sexual violence in South Australia. This submission does not pre-empt any findings or recommendations but outlines the identified gaps and opportunities for reform. While the challenges are significant, South Australia's commitment to ending domestic, family and sexual violence is unwavering.