Violence against women and children is unacceptable in any form and under any circumstances and in any community in Victoria. The Coalition Government is committed to preventing violence happening, holding perpetrators to account for their actions and making sure we are supporting those women and children who experience violence.

This Action Plan outlines the government’s approach to reducing violence against women and children. Prevention through education, community engagement and early intervention are fundamental to ensure long lasting change across the community.

Our plan provides education and community engagement measures, to help prevent violence against women and children before it occurs. Our plan provides measures to help identify and assist those women and children who are at risk of experiencing violence. It also provides early intervention measures to help change the behaviour of those at risk of committing violence, before it occurs.

Our plan provides a strong law and order focus, signalling our intention to deter perpetrators from committing violence, hold them accountable for their behaviour and help change their behaviour. Our plan provides compassionate and supportive response services for women and children who experience family violence and sexual assault because these women and children need support to rebuild their lives.

Finally, our plan involves a more co-ordinated and integrated approach by government and other agencies to helping these women and children. It recognises that research, education and early intervention are vital to ensure long lasting change across the community.

The Victorian Government will be committing over $90 million in 2012-13 to prevent violence against women and children, provide early intervention services and fund support services. This is a 20 per cent increase in funding in just two years. It includes an injection of an additional $16 million over four years, announced in September 2012, to relieve some of the immediate pressures that have been placed on family violence and sexual assault support and men’s behaviour change services as a result of recent increased reporting of family violence.

However, government acting alone will not produce the changes needed – we need the whole community involved. Everyone has a responsibility to act. That’s why our plan outlines an extensive range of existing and new measures, and highlights the need to work together across government and across the community to stop violence.