The Australian Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Recovery Alliance has released the report from the Inaugural Recovery and Healing National Roundtable, co-convened with Commissioner Micaela Cronin.
The report gathers insights from survivors, practitioners, service providers, policymakers, and researchers, offering a series of recommendations across key pillars of recovery and healing.
The Alliance has also welcomed the newly launched National Plan, calling for systemic changes to ensure long-term benefits for women and children affected by violence.
The Alliance emphasised the need for trauma recovery services to be accessible to all women and children who have experienced abuse, whenever and wherever they are needed across the country.
Expressing gratitude to Minister Amanda Rishworth and state ministers, the Alliance praised the plan’s focus on recovery and healing, highlighting that the recovery process continues long after the crisis or abusive relationship has ended. “The recognition of recovery and healing in the National Plan is a critical step forward in eliminating violence against women and children,” said Carolyn Robinson, Founder of Beyond DV, Queensland.
“We now look forward to further detail in the First Action Plan, particularly long-term, holistic recovery support for survivors.”
The Alliance also celebrated the plan’s acknowledgment of children as victims in their own right.
“Children are not merely witnesses to violence, abuse, or coercive control—they are victims. Early intervention and active responses are crucial to prevent re-victimisation in adult life,” said a survivor, known as Teresa, stressing the need for trauma-informed, victim-centred responses within the justice system.
Sammy Cooper, a Queensland Alliance member, added a personal perspective:
“As a First Nations woman, I know the stats too well. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women are over 35 times more likely to be hospitalised due to family violence. What I don’t understand is why there’s so little funding for culturally appropriate, long-term healing beyond crisis services.”
The Alliance also raised concerns over the justice system, pointing out that without reform in both criminal and family law, victims may continue to be re-traumatised. “The current system creates significant space for harm through systems abuse, intimidation, and coercive control,” they warned. Sally Stevenson, General Manager of the Illawarra Women’s Health Service, echoed this sentiment:
“The Recovery Alliance was formed to advocate for long-term investment in recovery and healing services, bringing awareness to the structural systems and barriers women face when recovering from violence.”
The plan’s focus on financial abuse was also applauded. Kelly-ann Tansley, CEO of Zahra Foundation Australia, highlighted the importance of financial independence in the recovery process.
“It’s not good enough that in 2022, women still have to choose between their safety and their financial or housing security. True recovery must include financial empowerment.”
The Alliance called on the Federal and State Governments to ensure services are funded to provide culturally responsive, trauma-informed, and intersectional practices at all levels, from prevention to recovery. They emphasised that a commitment to long-term trauma recovery will require significant investment, as noted by Dr. Lata Satyen, a psychologist and senior lecturer at Deakin University:
“We need to develop research to promote survivor-informed, culturally appropriate recovery approaches to ensure survivors are supported effectively.”
As the Alliance prepares for Australia’s first national conference on recovery and healing from domestic violence in early 2023, they remain committed to ensuring the vision of the National Plan becomes a reality. Tanya Elson, General Manager of Family and Domestic Violence at RUAH, concluded:
“The recovery pillar of the National Plan provides a framework to rewrite the future for women and children who have experienced gender-based violence. This vision of change in a generation is bold and achievable, but it will require sustained investment and commitment from all levels of government.”
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