Consider adjusted budget systems for preventing and responding to family violence

The Victorian Government considered budget and funding reform in the development of Ending Family Violence: Victoria’s 10-year Plan for Change (10-year Plan), the first Family Violence Rolling Action Plan (RAP) 2017-2020 and the second RAP 2020-2023. Since the Royal Commission into Family Violence, the Victorian Government has invested over $3.5 billion to rebuild Victoria’s family violence system. This investment has been aligned to the strategies and actions articulated in the 10-year Plan, the RAP 2017-2020 and the RAP 2020-2023.

The Victorian Government has also developed the Family Violence Outcomes Framework (FVOF), which was published in the 10-Year Plan. The FVOF will ensure outcomes-based accountability across government through the effective use of outcomes measures and indicators to inform budget decisions. The FVOF Measurement and Monitoring Implementation Strategy was released in December 2020 and will strengthen reform measurement and monitoring activities and build a strong evidence base for successful family violence interventions.

The Victorian Government has also introduced reforms to budget systems and decision-making which will contribute to better reflecting the central role of government in preventing and responding to family violence, including:

• Since 2017-18, Gender Equality Budget Statements have been published along with the State Budget papers, summarising the initiatives that contribute to gender equality and demonstrating the Victorian Government’s commitment to equality for all Victorians.
• The 2021-22 Victorian Budget provided $4.2 million to ensure the needs of women are being considered at the heart of government, including establishing a Gender Responsive Budgeting Unit to ensure outcomes for women are measured and considered as part of budget decisions.

The 2021-22 Victorian Budget also provided $15.4 million to implement an Early Intervention Investment Framework that links investment to measurable impacts on both the outcomes of people using the services and the service system. Implementation will include further development of methods to measure and track outcomes, avoided costs and impacts of interventions on acute service demand. The methodology will incorporate linked administrative data to ensure initiatives are appropriately targeted and properly measured. This work is expected to help inform future funding decisions.

While this recommendation is now considered implemented, the Victorian Government will continue to consider ways to ensure budget systems adequately support work to prevent and respond to family violence, including through:

• the implementation of the second Rolling Action Plan (RAP) 2020-2023, and the development of the third RAP
• the Gender Responsive Budgeting Unit
• implementation of the Early Intervention Investment Framework.

Continuous improvement of the Family Violence Outcomes Framework and reporting against its measures.

Implemented.