The Council of Australian Governments’ (COAG) will host a National Summit on Reducing Violence against Women and their Children in Brisbane on 27 and 28 October 2016.
Addressing domestic and family violence is a national priority for the Commonwealth, States and Territories.
Hosted by the Queensland Government in partnership with the Commonwealth, the Summit will bring together governments, frontline services, business, community leaders and experts in the field.
The agreement to hold this Summit was made at the 41st COAG meeting held in December last year.
The theme for the Summit is Connect.Act.Change
Guided by the theme, the Summit will focus on fostering new and innovative partnerships.
All parts of our society need to be involved if we are to reduce the incidence of violence and to support women and children to recover.
A number of roundtables will also be held to explore important issues relevant to addressing women’s safety, including the potential application of behavioural insights, technology‑facilitated abuse, organisational best practice and the impacts of domestic violence on children.
The States and Territories are partnering with the Commonwealth to address the scourge of domestic violence in Australia.
This Summit complements the continued work to promote women’s safety, including the national “Stop it at the Start” campaign; the development of a national Domestic Violence Order scheme and a national information sharing system; and the development of national perpetrator standards.
A dedicated website has been established to ensure that the wider community can engage with the Summit. The website can be accessed at: coagvawsummit.pmc.gov.au