Continue to fund Australia's National Organisation for Women's Safety

The Victorian Government is committed to supporting the work of ANROWS.

The government will match the contribution of $1.7 million each year by the Commonwealth from 2016-17 to 2021-22 on a 'per capita' share basis. This commitment is for ANROWS to conduct and lead research on preventing and responding to family violence for the remainder of the National Plan to Reduce Violence Against Women and their Children 2010-2022 (the National Plan).

On 17 December 2012, Victoria signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Commonwealth Government and all state and territory governments to establish and operate a National Centre of Excellence to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children (now known as ANROWS). ANROWS was established in 2013 as an independent company limited by guarantee. The members of the company are comprised of all 9 Australian governments.

In May 2020, the Victorian Government committed to continuing to fund ANROWS for a further two years commencing 1 July 2020 to align with the end of the National Plan on 30 June 2022.

ANROWS has been integral to building the evidence base and developing a national and Victorian understanding of prevention of violence against women and their children. The ANROWS research program encompasses over 50 projects across the following areas: core research, perpetrator intervention research, Fourth Action Plan research, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander research, action research and evaluation, and community attitudes. Core research spans domestic, family and sexual violence and recognises the diversity of women’s experiences in order to provide guidance to policy makers and practitioners on better ways forward.

ANROWS also administers the world’s longest-running survey of community attitudes towards violence against women, the National Community Attitudes towards Violence Against women Survey (NCAS). The NCAS asks Australians how they understand violence against women, their attitudes towards it, what influences their attitudes, and if there has been a change over time. It also looks at attitudes to gender equality and people’s preparedness to intervene when witnessing violence or its precursors.

The findings from the NCAS along with other research commissioned by ANROWS continues to inform the Victoria’s Government approach to the design and delivery of prevention activities across the state. Findings also support Respect Victoria’s research and behaviour change campaigns delivered under Free from violence: Victoria’s strategy to prevent family violence and all forms of violence against women.

The NCAS was last conducted in 2017, with the next survey due to be undertaken in 2021.

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