Domestic and family violence (DFV) incidents often aren’t reported in the media and for very valid reasons, including the protection of children and those who have been subjected to the DFV.
However, this does sometimes mean it is out of sight out of mind. Several people have recently contacted The Echo highlighting incidents of domestic violence (DV) – so we thought now was a good time to remind ourselves of the wide range of DV that occurs and the support that is out there for people experiencing DFV.
From existing figures there is a clear increase in the people who are being supported through DFV incidents with the Women’s Domestic Violence Court Advocacy Service (DVCAS) seeing an increase in the number of people accessing and using their service.
DVCAS supported 1,119 court events during 2023-24 with a 2,111 clients in Richmond and 1,501 in Tweed-Byron. The period 2024-25 saw the number of court events supported rise to 2,737 with client numbers rising to 2,791 in Richmond and 1,876 in Tweed-Byron.
An increase in referrals
Ambyr Johnston from the Women’s Resources Service at the Mullumbimby District Neighbourhood Cente (MDNC) said they have also seen an increase in referrals with 594 in 2023-24, increasing to 706 referrals in 2024-25. They are currently funded for 359 referrals a year.
‘Demand for DFV support is steadily increasing every year,’ Johnston told The Echo.
‘You see women time and time again because there is no easy solution. It is not as if you leave the relationship and the violence ends, it can go on year after year even after you have left the relationship.’
There were 78 women killed in Australia last year according to Destroy the Joint. This coincides with the year that coercive control (CC) was criminalised in NSW.
‘Although the relationship between those two things is yet to be apparent what is clear is DFV has not abated,’ Michelle Lyons from DVCAS told The Echo.
‘As frontline workers, we routinely see incidents of abuse that would curl your toes, cases that alarm and disturb with violent behaviour often exacerbated by alcohol or drugs. What we also see, and is the basis of a growing understanding of this violence, is the power and control at the heart of this aggression.’
Not just the physical abuse
Domestic violence is not just the physical aspect of abuse, it can come in a range of forms, many that are hard to identify and detect. These include: physical and verbal abuse; emotional abuse including silent treatment, threats of self-harm, ignoring, stonewalling, blaming, blackmail etc; psychological abuse including creating fear, using sulking or anger to manipulate, threats to take children or threats to harm pets; financial and sexual abuse; spiritual, social, reproductive, harrassment and legal system abuse and image-based abuse such as taking explicit images without permission, or threats to share images.
‘Our responses to DFV are aligned with the criminal justice system and the new CC legislation is an attempt to incorporate understanding DFV as an abuse of power into that response,’ explained Ms Lyons.
‘It is yet to be seen how successful CC legislation is and it’s sometimes questioned whether the criminal justice system has been, or can be successful in curbing the scourge. Whatever the answer to that question, it is accepted that efforts need to be made outside that system as well. This includes funding frontline services as well as primary prevention activities. (See Australia’s National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children.)’
Pattern of behaviour
The success of the new legislation will be complicated by several factors. This law, unlike most others in the criminal justice arena, relies not on proving that an incident occurred, but on proving a pattern of behaviour which can include financial abuse, sexual abuse and coercion, jealousy, denigrating remarks, gaslighting, isolation and the restriction of autonomy. This involves a change of thinking and new requirements for evidence. Police have received some training, but it is not clear if they are being fully supported to implement the new laws. From July 2024 to March 2025, there was one successful prosecution.
‘The CC legislation hasn’t really made much of a difference to our work,’ said Ms Johnston.
‘There are so many criteria you have to meet then you have to take this evidence to the detectives – it is not straightforward. It feels so far that it is often put in the too-hard basket. The onus is on the service and the client to put timelines together and collect the evidence to present to police, then they “might” consider it if they think it is worth pursuing.’
Ms Lyons pointed out that, ‘Commentators have noted that the legislation in NSW does not include an element of recklessness, that is, the prosecution needs to prove the user of CC intended harm and was not just careless about whether it caused harm. This element was included in the Scottish legislation, often cited as the “gold standard”.
‘For a range of reasons, many women are reluctant to engage with the criminal justice system, particularly if their situation does not involve overt acts or physical injury,’ she said.
‘DFV services can provide support. We are all expanding our comprehension of DFV to include these patterns of behaviour and assess risk beyond physical injury. Measures can be taken outside the criminal justice system, and DFV services provide a space where your situation will be understood and sympathy, support and referrals provided.’
50% more funding needed
Domestic Violence NSW along with Full Stop, NCOSS, Barnardos, and more have been calling for a 50 per cent increase to frontline services as current NSW specialist domestic violence services currently report a two-month average wait for critical support.
Following the release of the NSW government’s budget in June, DFV services said there was ‘little to address the reality that existing services are stretched to breaking point’.
Delia Donovan, CEO of DVNSW, says the gravity of the crisis is underscored by the breadth of support received from other community organisations who, despite often competing for the same limited funding pools, are standing in solidarity with the DFV sector.
‘Community services in NSW can’t always advocate for increased funding for other sectors because resources are so scarce. The fact that peak bodies across community, sexual violence, children and family services are all endorsing our call for a 50 per cent baseline funding increase sends a powerful message: the system is on the brink of complete overwhelm, and if specialist DFV services remain underresourced, the impacts will reverberate across every part of the community services system.’
In the Northern Rivers, there is a network of services that can be contacted to talk about your situation. They include family support agencies, women’s services, court support and men’s behaviour change programs. Each of these has knowledge of what might be available to mitigate or remedy your circumstances and can talk to you about your risk and your needs and refer you to appropriate support.
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