Final Evaluation Report

119.Contribution toward the National Plan

The Second Action Plan was designed to build on the foundation of the First Action Plan and make iterative achievements towards the National Plan. This section of the report evaluates the contribution of the Second Action Plan in progressing the six National Outcomes of the National Plan. The method undertaken in this impact evaluation included:

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  consideration of the advice provided by stakeholders with regard to governance arrangements for the National Plan, based on responses to the Evaluation Questions from the National Plan; and
  
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  independent evaluation of the progress made under the Second Action Plan in achieving the six National Outcomes, based on consultations with stakeholders, desktop research and outcomes from existing evaluations and international reports.
  

5.1 Evaluation of National Plan governance arrangements

Governance under the Second Action Plan has been a collaborative effort with representatives from governments, the community sector, business and the broader community contributing to the policy development and decision making process for the implementation of the Second Action Plan. This governance structure is designed to cut across traditional government boundaries as well as engage a range of stakeholders.

The National Plan was also designed to promote sharing of ideas and information between states and territories and function as an overarching framework for the development of more localised plans and strategies such as SA and the NT’s Safe Families Framework and QLD’s’ Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Strategy. Additionally the National Plan aimed to provide a reference point for linking other national plans and partnerships such as the Closing the Gap initiatives and the National Partnership Agreement on Homelessness.

The Department of Social Services has conducted national roundtables at which both government and non-government service providers can contribute to policy development, implementation plans and evaluation. The Council of Australian Governments (COAG), which comprises First Ministers across all jurisdictions, is responsible for the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and Their Children and launched the Third Action Plan in October 2016. During the life of the Second Action Plan, COAG was advised by the COAG Advisory Panel, a group of representatives with long standing experience in the area of domestic and family violence, from both non-government and government sectors. The Implementation Executive Group (ImpEG) is responsible for the practical implementation of actions in the Second Action Plan and will continue to drive implementation of the Third Action Plan.

The National Evaluation Plan contains the following overarching evaluation questions for assessing the effectiveness of governance and national integration of the four action plans aimed at reducing violence against women and their children. We have assessed the work undertaken for the Second Action Plan against these evaluation questions.

Question 1

What have been the added benefits and efficiencies from taking a national approach? How has the National Plan influenced and been influenced by state and territory plans, and how has it supported sharing of good practice across jurisdictions?

Advice from stakeholders regarding the benefits of the National Plan varies. As discussed in the evaluation of Priority 1, in section 2 of the report, many stakeholders felt that state and territory initiated investigations and plans had driven change more than the National Plan. Examples of state and territory initiated investigations include the Royal Commission inquiry into family violence in Victoria and the Special Taskforce investigation into domestic and family violence in QLD and the Social Development Committee report into Domestic and Family Violence in SA. State based policy and plans have also been developed in response to the findings of these local inquiries, for example, the TAS Safe Homes, Safe Families policy, the Family Safety Framework in SA in 2007 and the NT and the QLD Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Strategy 2016-2026.

Stakeholders suggested that these local strategies were separate from the National Plan and indicated that given the impetus created by the local state-based plans, there was little additional benefit to be added at the local level by a National Plan. There has been some good strategic planning and policy implementation at the state level under the Second Action Plan for example the cross jurisdictional work between the NT and SA with the Family Safety Framework, aimed at increasing the safety of women working on the border. It acknowledged that in all jurisdictions the policy and planning for reducing violence in communities is broadly congruent with the outcomes of the National Plan.

One notable benefit and efficiency identified by stakeholders of the National Plan was the establishment of ANROWS and Our Watch. ANROWS achieves significant economies of scale through being a centralised source of relevant research for developing policy and informing practice. Similarly, the establishment of Our Watch has enabled a consistent and nation-wide strategy for driving change in the culture and attitudes that can cause violence against women and their children.

Duplication of services was one inefficiency noted by some stakeholders of the National Plan, particularly with regard to the multiple telephone hotlines that are in operation and the potential for confusion amongst women about which service they should contact. While the establishment of 1800RESPECT under the First Action Plan was seen as a positive achievement in terms of developing a one-stop reference point for victims of violence, it was also a key concern as 1800RESPECT potentially repeats the efforts of state based hotlines in NSW, VIC and QLD. As discussed in Section 4 of the report, anecdotal evidence from 1800RESPECT and State Government stakeholders suggests that women are calling various telephone hotlines only to be subsequently referred to a range of other telephone hotlines without gaining access to appropriate services. There is risk associated with this approach as vulnerable victims of violence may decide not to pursue their search for assistance if they have to call a series of hotlines. The development of national telephone and online counselling standards will provide a potential means of addressing this issue through providing a benchmark for consistent counselling and referral processes across all telephone and online services. The recent changes to 1800RESPECT and the new triage process should assist in addressing some of these concerns.

Question 2

How has each action plan contributed to the overall target of reducing violence against women and their children?

At this stage, it is difficult to assess whether the action items in the Second Action plan have contributed to the overall target of reducing violence against women and their children. The primary sources of data for measuring changes in the prevalence of violence against women and their children include the PSS, the NATSISS and, more recently, the Stop the Violence survey of women with a disability. A refreshed collection of the PSS and NATSISS has not been undertaken since the implementation of the First Action Plan. The PSS and the NATSISS were undertaken in 2012 and 2014-15 respectively. A survey of women with a disability was undertaken in 2013 as a one-off, just before the implementation of the Second Action Plan. While this provided an indication of the violence against women with a disability, a more systematic and sustained collection of data from this cohort would be required to definitively signal a reduction in violence.

Question 3

How effective are the governance, advisory and communication mechanisms established to implement the National Plan in terms of facilitating appropriate involvement of a broad range of stakeholders?

The governance mechanisms of the Second Action Plan and, more broadly, the National Plan are effective in terms of gathering advice from a range of stakeholders. The COAG Advisory Panel (previously the National Plan Implementation Panel) was suggested as an effective mechanism for gathering advice from long-term experienced professionals in domestic and family violence. However, as this panel was created for a specific purpose, it has since ended. ANROWS’ practitioner engagement group was also seen as an effective avenue for improving the practical relevance of information offered by ANROWS.

Stakeholders indicated that the level of consultation and communication regarding national pieces of work could have been wider in scope. For example, some of the National Plan Partners indicated they were unaware of the new $30 million national campaign launched by the Australian Government in April 2016 until research for the campaign was released in November 2015. Others noted that while the governance mechanisms relating to cross jurisdictional intensive case management are commendable, it would have been valuable to be consulted on the method for integrating and joining up jurisdictional systems as there were already a number of existing networks and information sharing or case management strategies in place across the country.

Question 4

How effective has the plan been in engaging and creating linkages with civil society and other relevant groups to take ownership and action?

It is difficult to conclusively assess how effective the Second Action Plan and the National Plan have been in engaging and creating linkages with civil society and other relevant groups to take ownership and action. There are a number of plans and programs that are developed locally but align with national campaigns and the National Plan. For example, the Silent Memorial March in Perth is organised by the local Women’s Council for Domestic and Family Violence Services to coincide with White Ribbon Australia’s ‘White Ribbon Day’ and the United Nation’s UNiTE to End Violence ‘Orange Day’. However, the evaluation of the Second Action Plan has also found that there are many grass roots awareness campaigns that have been independently initiated by communities in response to locally identified issues with violence. These campaigns were funded out of state, local government or community budgets. Examples of these kinds of programs include Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander specific programs offered in Toowoomba, Mornington Island and Palm Island.

Stakeholders indicated that these programs were triggered independently of the National Plan. This suggests that the National Plan is not necessarily the impetus for action in many civil society and community groups. However, it is not possible to conclude that high profile campaigns delivered under the Second Action Plan, for example White Ribbon Day, The Line and the work of prominent advocates such as Rosie Batty, have had no impact on local community action.

Question 5

How effective has the National Plan been in engaging with, and supporting groups of women who have diverse experiences of violence or can be more vulnerable, such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, CALD women and women with disability?

Advice from stakeholders regarding the effectiveness of the National Plan in engaging with, and supporting groups of women who have diverse experiences of violence indicates that there is still considerable work required to improve the effectiveness of the National Plan. As discussed in the evaluation of Priority 2, in section 2 of the report, many stakeholders made suggestions about increased consultation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, CALD women and women with disability to improve supports and service responses for these groups.

Question 6

How well does the National Plan link with, influence and inform other plans of government for example closing the gap, homelessness, protecting Australian children?

Advice from stakeholders varied in regard to how effectively the National Plan links with, influences and informs other plans of government. This indicated that the governance and inter-linkages between other government plans and frameworks needs to be further articulated and more broadly communicated.

Many stakeholders noted some relationship between the Second Action Plan and the National Partnership on Homelessness. However, some stakeholders noted that the integration of the National Partnership on Homelessness with specialist domestic violence services and shelters is unclear. It was noted that transparency over the proportion of National Partnership on Homelessness funding that is allocated to women and their children affected by violence is limited. Action 9 of the Second Action Plan aligns strongly with the emphasis on safer communities in the Closing the Gap strategy however a linkage between the Second Action Plan and the Closing the Gap strategy was not specifically noted in consultations with stakeholders.

A number of stakeholders suggested that more action items were needed to target children specifically. The action items in the Second Action Plan aimed to improve services to support children affected by violence, increase knowledge of respectful relationships among children and improve online safety for children. While these are valuable action items, stakeholders considered that there is more work needed to ensure that all children have a right to receive the services they require to enable them to succeed in life, as per the mandate of the National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children 2009–2020. Suggested improvements included better collection of data for the prevalence of violence against children and the long-term effects of violence against children. Currently, the PSS only interviews children aged 15 years and older so there is a significant cohort of children not reflected in the research used to develop policy.

Furthermore, a number of stakeholders mentioned the rights of women and their children in detention. Women and their children in detention are outside the scope of the current National Plan. It is understood that under future action plans, there will be a greater focus on addressing the needs of immigrant and refugee women and their children through policy, support services and research.

Question 7

How does the implementation of the National Plan align with Australia’s responsibility under international agreements?

The National Plan goes some way to satisfying Australia’s responsibilities under international agreements but a number of United Nations conventions that Australia has ratified continue to be complied with only in part. In the 2010 Review of Australia’s Compliance with the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, the United Nation’s Committee was encouraged by the implementation of the National Plan but had the following concerns:

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  Australia’s lack of ‘temporary special measures’ such as “compulsory targets and quotas to address the under-representation of women in decision-making bodies, in political and public life and the persistent inequality of their access to education, employment opportunities and health-care services”⁷³.
  
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  the high incidence of violence faced by immigrant women, women with a disability and women in Aboriginal and Torres Straits Islander communities⁷⁴.
  
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  the issue of “non-therapeutic sterilizations of women and girls with disabilities” which continues to be practiced in some states in Australia.⁷⁵
  

Since this review, there appears to be little evidence of improvements in gender equality with the NCAS indicating that in 2013, up to 18 per cent of young people believed that men should be in charge of a relationship. Stakeholders maintained that more targeted services were required for women from CALD backgrounds. It was acknowledged that there was a gap between the services required by women with a disability and the services required by women with a disability who had also experienced violence.

The 2013 Review of Australia’s Compliance with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities also reported concerns about “the high incidence of violence against, and sexual abuse of, women with disabilities”⁷⁶. Work is underway to improve links between the National Disability Strategy (2010-2020) and the Third Action Plan.

Both the Review of Australia’s Compliance with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2013) and the Review of Australia’s Compliance with the United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of the Child indicated concern about there being no comprehensive national policy framework for children, including children with disabilities, that articulates how the rights of children should be implemented, monitored and promoted. In expressing this concern, both reviews acknowledged the adoption of the National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children 2009-2020 that focuses on the protection of children against violence, abuse and neglect.

The 2014 Review of Australia’s Compliance with the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (Convention against Torture) cited the National Plan as a notable step forward in reducing violence and complying with the Convention against Torture. Some recommendations were cited which have been partly addressed in the Second Action Plan but could be further integrated into future policy. These recommendations include:

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  taking measures to facilitate the lodging of complaints by victims and to address effectively the barriers that may prevent women from reporting acts of violence against them;
  
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  ensuring the effective enforcement of the existing legal framework by promptly, effectively and impartially investigating all reports of violence and prosecuting and punishing perpetrators in accordance with the gravity of their acts;
  
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  strengthening public awareness-raising activities to combat violence against women and gender stereotypes;
  

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  increasing its efforts to address violence against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and women with disabilities;
  
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  guaranteeing in practice that all victims benefit from protection and have access to sufficient and adequately funded medical and legal aid, psychosocial counselling and social support schemes, which take into account their special needs, and that victims not placed under the “safe at home” model have access to adequate shelters; and
  
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  further intensifying community-based approaches to addressing violence against women, with the involvement of all relevant stakeholders.⁷⁷
  

Other concerns noted by the United Nations Committee against Torture included the policy for mandatory detention in Australia and also (as mentioned above under the review of Australia’s compliance with the discrimination convention) the forced sterilisation of persons with disabilities.⁷⁸ (Note: mandatory detention or forced sterilisation are not within the scope of the current National Plan).

KPMG understands that future action plans will include actions to address the needs of immigrant women and their children. The Department is also already working with government and non-government partners to improve the support and policy relating to the needs of women with a disability.