The Federal Government will give family violence support service 1800RESPECT an additional $41.8 million in funding.
This accounts for a boost of almost 40% to the organisation.
The announcement was made on Tuesday, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (IDEVAW).
National landmarks will be lit up in orange on Tuesday for the cause.
Details
1800RESPECT now has a total of $146.8 million in federal funding through 30 June 2027.
Since the organisation was established in 2010, uptake of its services has increased by 3,000%.
It received more than 342,000 calls, texts, online messages and video calls in the 2024/25 financial year.
Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek said 1800RESPECT “revolutionised... the first step to get help and start the journey of recovery.”
Minister for Women Katy Gallagher said the organisation’s expansion to SMS and video calls “means women can seek support in the safest way for them”
“Making sure 1800RESPECT can keep pace with demand is critical,” Gallagher added.
Response
The Greens welcomed the funding, but said more needs to be done while poverty is “denying women the power to leave violent relationships.”
Senator Penny Allman-Payne said: “It’s very difficult to leave a violent relationship... if you don’t have economic security.”
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The party quoted Sex Discrimination Commissioner Anna Cody, who in 2024 said: “Raising JobSeeker and related payments... would help lift about half a million women out of poverty.”
IDEVAW
Yesterday, Labor MP Sharon Claydon read the names and ages of 74 women killed by violence since last November to mark the IDEVAW.
The list came from the Counting Dead Women Australia’s register of women killed by violence.
Claydon said: “Every year I read this list in the hope that it will be the last, but heartbreakingly, that day has not yet come.”
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley also read the women’s names so that they “echo through this building and… across our country”.
IDEVAW marks the start of the UN Women’s 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence.
Governments and councils will light up landmarks in orange – including Perth Stadium and Brisbane’s Story Bridge – to recognise the initiative.
Gallagher said Parliament House will be lit up as “a powerful symbol that women’s safety is a national priority”.
1800 RESPECT
Call: 1800 737 732
Text: 0458 737 732
Video: 1800RESPECT.org.au
