Last year the NSW Government became the first state or territory in Australia to have a stand-alone Women’s Safety Commissioner, Dr. Hannah Tonkin.

Lead by Dr. Tonkin the Strategic Plan sets out actions aimed at achieving 6 overarching and interconnected priorities to address domestic, family and sexual violence, by the Women’s Safety Commissioner and the NSW Government.

Priority 1 of the plan, ‘Put people with lived experience at the centre’, recognises the inclusion of people with lived experiences is crucial in planning, designing and implementing policy and programs to address domestic, family and sexual violence.

To support this the Office of the Women’s Safety Commissioner will create a lived experience advisory body for NSW, supported by a broader network of people with diverse lived experiences across the state. This will be a significant step forward and complement existing groups.

The Strategic plan also outlines 5 other priorities, including:

• enhancing oversight, monitoring and accountability for delivery of the NSW Domestic and Family Violence Plan 2022-27 and NSW Sexual Violence Plan 2022-27
• promote safe, accessible and integrated responses to domestic, family and sexual violence
• champion a greater focus on primary prevention
• strengthen domestic, family and sexual violence workforces and informal support networks.
• support women’s economic safety and security.

Over the coming years these priorities will guide the Office of the Women’s Safety Commissioner.

The progress in relation to these priorities will be published in an annual report card by the Office of the Women’s Safety Commissioner.

Minister for the Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Jodie Harrison said:

“People with lived experience of domestic, family and sexual violence have a unique point of view that is invaluable to the NSW Government and we are committed to listening to them.

“The NSW Government welcomes the launch of this strategy as part of our commitment to implement a range of strategies to reduce and eventually eliminate domestic, family and sexual violence.

"This strategy is key to transforming our actions around domestic, family and sexual violence to a whole-of-government and whole-of-community issue. Not only are we putting victim-survivors at the centre, we are also focusing on primary prevention to address the drivers of violence.”

NSW Women’s Safety Commissioner Dr Hannah Tonkin said:

“Eliminating domestic and family violence is a complex challenge that will require both systems reform and cultural change over the long term. The creation of a lived experience advisory body, supported by a broader network of people with diverse lived experience, is a significant step that would complement existing groups in NSW.

“We will consult with experts, including in other jurisdictions, to ensure that the establishment and operation of the new body follows best practice.

“We recognise that no single group of people can ever represent such a diverse range of experiences, so we will continue to work closely with community organisations and researchers to ensure a wide range of voices are heard and listened to.”