Establish an independent statutory Family Violence Agency

Implemented

Who is leading the change

Department of Premier and Cabinet

The Victorian Government establish an independent statutory Family Violence Agency to:

monitor and report on implementation of the Commission’s recommendations and of the Statewide Family Violence Action Plan
provide expert policy advice on family violence at the request of Cabinet, the Premier or the Victorian Secretaries Board
undertake and commission applied research, policy and evidence reviews and conduct own-motion inquiries into the operation of the family violence system
liaise with relevant Commonwealth government and national agencies in developing policy and practice to enhance primary prevention efforts and improve responses to family violence
establish a means by which service providers can share information about programs
liaise with the Crime Statistics Agency and other agencies to coordinate data collection and sharing for the purposes of assessing the overall performance of systems that respond to family violence

Improvements and changes to the recommended Family Violence Agency have been considered to ensure governance structures support effective long-term oversight and management of the family violence system.

The 2017-18 State Budget allocated $60 million for the establishment of a new family violence coordination agency, Family Safety Victoria from 1 July 2017, to ensure a continued and dedicated focus on the delivery of the Government’s family violence reform commitments. The Agency will be responsible for the delivery of key Family Violence Service Delivery reforms, such as the Support and Safety Hubs. The new Agency will also house a Centre for Workforce Excellence to build workforce capacity and capability in partnership with the sector.

The 2017-18 State Budget also allocated $17.5 million for monitoring and reporting of the implementation of Royal Commission into Family Violence recommendations and related family violence reform work. A dedicated Family Violence Branch has been established in the Department of Premier and Cabinet and will monitor and report from a whole of reform view, with advice provided to the Premier, the relevant Cabinet committee and the dedicated subcommittee of the Victorian Secretaries Board.

Legislation establishing the independent Family Violence Reform Implementation Monitor commenced operation on 1 January 2017, allowing the Implementation Monitor, Mr Tim Cartwright APM, to monitor and independently report on our implementation of the Royal Commission into Family Violence recommendations.

Updated 18 May 2020