Councils to report on their proposed measures to reduce family violence and respond to victims

Preventing violence and injury is one of six priority areas for councils in the Victorian public health and wellbeing plan 2015–2019 (the Plan), which councils must consider when developing their local municipal public health and wellbeing plans.

Councils are well placed to address family violence within their communities and many are proactively addressing it by including measures relating to family violence in their existing public health and wellbeing plans.

Under the Victorian Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008, councils in preparing their municipal public health and wellbeing plans must give regard to the state Plan, which includes preventing violence and injury as a priority. To ensure this recommendation is implemented and to support council planning activities, the Public Health and Wellbeing Action Plan and Outcomes Framework were released in November 2016. In addition, in partnership with the Municipal Association of Victoria, guidance to assist councils to implement this recommendation has been developed and disseminated to all councils within Victoria.

Legislation to support this recommendation has passed through Parliament. The Family Violence Protection Amendment Act 2017 (Part 7) defines the amendment to the Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008 that will enable a sustained focus on family violence prevention and respond to the needs of victim survivors in their local communities.