No to Violence has welcomed the $10.5 million in funding for the Men’s Referral Service announced in tonight’s Federal Budget.
No to Violence Chief Executive Officer Jacqui Watt said the funding – a key ask of NTV’s Election Statement – would guarantee the operation of the Men’s Referral Service (MRS) and the Brief Intervention Service (BIS) for the next five years.
“The MRS is the central point of contact in Australia for men taking responsibility for their behaviour. In the past 12 months alone, more than 7500 men called the MRS seeking help,” Ms Watt said.
“The BIS is a multi-sessional telephone support program for men across Australia who use family violence. BIS started in 2020 and filled gaps in services caused in part by COVID. It played an important role in keeping men engaged with the family violence service system.
“While we are heartened by the increasing numbers of men seeking and receiving help, the incidence of men’s family and domestic violence in Australia remains unacceptable. There is much more work to do so that men understand there is a service they can use to help them understand there is another way.
“These services are essential to help break the cycle of violence and shift the burden of responsibility for family and domestic violence from victim-survivors to the men who use violence. Tonight’s funding will help shift that burden.”
Ms Watt also welcomed the Federal Government’s Budget allocation of funding to “educate men who use violence to be aware of and change their behaviour” but said more needs to be done.
“Family and domestic violence is everyone’s problem. But it begins – and ends – with men.
“For too long, the focus has been on helping women and children who are hurt by abuse – not on stopping the men from hurting them in the first place,” Ms Watt said.
The 2022-23 Budget includes:
- An extra $1.3 billion to drive change under the next National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-2032.
- $47.9 million over five years for a new campaign that focuses on confronting the attitudes and expectations of some men which can condone or excuse violence.
- $20 million over five years to improve the safety of victim-survivors and keep men in view by establishing a fund for states and territories to trial electronic monitoring of high-risk and persistent family and domestic violence offenders.
For almost 30 years, No to Violence has successfully worked to develop safe and effective interventions for men using family and domestic violence.
“Boys do not have to grow into violent men,” Ms Watt said. “Violence is a learnt behaviour. And violence is a choice.”
Ongoing funding for the MRS was one of five key asks in the NTV Election Statement.
The Election Statement also calls for the next National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-20322 to include:
- A fully resourced national evaluation framework to rigorously assess what programs work to stop men using violence.
- A national partnership agreement to provide cooperation, funding, and accountability to end men’s family violence.
- Funded training in risk assessment for all employees who work with people impacted by family, domestic and sexual violence to properly identify perpetrators.
- Funding to support the families and children of those enrolled in perpetrator intervention programs.
