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The Victorian Government will formally apologise in Parliament to victim-survivors who experienced child sexual abuse in Victorian government schools. The apology will acknowledge the harm experienced by survivors, families and communities, recognise the failures that allowed abuse to occur, and acknowledge its ongoing impacts.
Date and time: Thursday 30 July 2026, 11:30 am.
Public apology events will be held in:
The events will include a livestream of the Parliamentary apology, refreshments, and wellbeing support for attendees. Travel and accommodation assistance may be available for people with accessibility needs.
Registration: Attendees are asked to register via the online registration form available on the Victorian Government website here.
The Hatchery | Sydney & Online | 28-29 July Register here
This years conference moves from awareness to action, examining the hidden dynamics of coercive control and advancing trauma‑informed, culturally grounded prevention that centres children’s voices and lived experience.
ANROWS | 4 August 2026, 12:00pm | Online | Register here
About this webinarThis webinar explores the role of community-led research in preventing and responding to domestic, family and sexual violence, with a focus on the priorities outlined in the Australian National Research Agenda to End Violence against Women and Children (ANRA) 2023–2028.
What will be discussed?
Who should attend?Researchers, evaluators, funders, practitioners, service providers, data custodians, and others involved in domestic, family and sexual violence research and evaluation.
WESNET | 15-17 September, 2026 | Brisbane | Register here
About this eventWesnet’s 7th Technology Safety Summit brings together national and international experts to explore the relationship between technology and gender-based violence, with a focus on preventing and responding to technology-facilitated abuse.
Key topics
Who should attend?Family and domestic violence frontline workers, advocates, policymakers, technologists, legal and law enforcement professionals, researchers, and others working to prevent and respond to technology-facilitated abuse.
Sexual Assault Services Victoria (SASVic) | 4-6 November | MelbourneRegister hereSexual violence affects every part of society. This summit brings together practitioners, advocates, leaders and researchers to drive collective change across prevention, response and recovery.
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Announcements
Applications are now open for our 2026/2027 Prevention Communities of Practice!Safe and Equal’s Communities of Practice bring together primary prevention practitioners to share ideas, strengthen practice build skills and make connections.
Available Communities of Practice:
Free and mostly online with the possibility of some hybrid sessionsExpress your interest by 27 July here
The National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse has released a position paper on Child sexual abuse and suicidality – priorities for national system reform.
Child sexual abuse is a major and often overlooked driver of suicidality, with survivors facing significantly higher risks of suicidal distress and suicide attempts across their lives. The National Centre calls for stronger national recognition of this link and coordinated, lifelong, trauma-informed support to improve outcomes for victim-survivors | Read the position paper
National Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Child Sexual Abuse 2021–2030 – second action plan consultation
Development of the Second Action Plan under the National Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Child Sexual Abuse 2021–2030 is now underway. This next phase provides an important opportunity to respond to existing and emerging issues, as well as community priorities and concerns about how child sexual abuse is prevented and addressed.
A national survey is open, inviting people across Australia to share their views on the actions needed to better protect children and young people from sexual abuse and strengthen support for victims and survivors. The survey can be accessed through the Attorney-General’s Department consultation hub. Responses are open until 11:59pm on 31 July 2026.
Work is also progressing on several related national action plans, including:
The Australian Government is launching AusAlert – a new national warning system that sends emergency messages to compatible mobile devices including mobile phones, smart watches and tablets. Alerts can also be received on children’s safety watches and Apple CarPlay devices.
The national AusAlert test is coming up on Monday 27 July at 2pm AEST. DFV-specific resources are available to help services and victim survivors prepare.
Developed by NEMA in consultation with Wesnet, the suite includes a stakeholder kit with posters, factsheets and social media tiles, a safe phone user guide, a survivor safety guide in 19 languages, guides for each community test site and the recording and FAQ from the recent Wesnet and NEMA webinar.
Link to the Stakeholder Kit here
Find out more information about AusAlert here
Please share these resources with your staff, clients and networks.
News: System ‘fails’ youth on intimate partner violenceEmily Woods, The Canberra Times | 17 July 2026A recent national roundtable hosted by NTV has highlighted concerns that young people are falling through gaps in responses to intimate partner violence, with limited age-appropriate services, prevention initiatives and early intervention programs available. Sector leaders are calling for greater investment in tailored supports to better respond to and prevent violence in young people’s relationships | Read the full article
News: The law can’t keep up with this invisible form of abuse. It’s happening right inside our phones.Nicole Madigan, Mamamia | 9 July 2026This article discusses how everyday technology can be misused as a tool for coercive control. From location tracking to password sharing and constant digital monitoring, it highlights the often-hidden ways technology-facilitated abuse can impact personal safety, privacy and wellbeing, both during and after a relationship | Read the full article
NSW: Ministerial media release | Investment to help more women and children escape violence 23 June, 2026 | Read the full announcementThe NSW Government has announced a major new investment in specialist domestic and family violence services, aimed at strengthening frontline support for women and children experiencing violence.
Media Release: Protecting Older Victorians From AbuseVictorian Government | 15 June | Read the full announcement
Access the framework and other related resources on our ‘Abuse in older adults’ page.
Media Release: Funding Boost For LGBTIQA+ Family Violence PreventionVictorian Government | 12 JuneMinister Horne has announced funding to support organisations working to create a safer, more inclusive Victoria, including; Safe and Equal, Zoe Belle Gender Collective, Thorne Harbour Health, Proud 2 Play and Switchboard Victoria | Read the full announcement
Media Release: Australian-First Hospital Pilot To Stop Youth ViolenceVictoria Government | 14 JuneThe government is piloting an Australian-First hospital program that supports young people admitted after violent incidents by connecting them with mentors and services to prevent further harm and retaliation. It aims to reduce future crime through early intervention at two major Victorian hospitals. The pilot recognises evidence that some young people involved in violence have experienced it themselves, including in the home, and that early support can help break that cycle | Read the full announcement
Media Release: New report urges action for children and young people experiencing violence – not just listeningDomestic Family and Sexual Violence Commission | 9 JuneA roundtable held in December 2025 brought children and young people with lived experience of DFSV together to speak directly with the Minister for Social Services. The report’s key message is that it’s time to move from listening to taking action on what young people say needs to change. | Read more
News & Views: 29 women. 9 children. This is what survivors say needs to changeLisa Wheildon, Women’s Agenda | 28 May 2026Despite ongoing deaths from gender-based violence in Australia, meaningful reform is hindered by political inaction and the exclusion of survivor expertise, particurlary from marginalised groups. | Read the full article
Safe and Equal submission: Legislative Council Legal and Social Issues Committee Inquiry into anti-LGBTIQA+ hate crimes in Victoria | 8 May 2026 | Read the full submissionThe submission highlights that anti-LGBTIQA+ hate crimes share common drivers with men’s violence against women, namely the enforcement of rigid and hierarchical gender norms and efforts to punish and control people whose bodies, identities and relationships do not conform to expectations of cisnormativity and heteronormativity.
Inquiry into the relationship between domestic, family and sexual violence and suicide | Read submissionThe Centre’s recent submission to the inquiry into the relationship between domestic, family and sexual violence and suicide highlights that exposure to DFSV significantly increases suicide risk for children, young people and non‑offending caregivers, both immediately and across the lifespan.
Seeking participants
The Centre, Swinburne University of Technology, Monash University and Southern Cross University
This project aims to explore pathways into young people’s use of violence towards family members and intimate partners. We are interested in understanding how adverse childhood experiences and other aspects of a young person’s life and background might contribute to their use of violence, particularly how these factors might interact with situational and relationship factors in the lead up to, during and following an act of violence.
Have you worked with any young people who you believe may be interested in participating in the study? To be eligible young people need to meet the following criteria:
The Rose Project is seeking participants who identify as women living in Australia and who have had an unwanted sexual experience at age 60 or older to take part in an interview. This research aims to better understand older women’s experiences of unwanted sexual activity in later life and the support they need. | More info
Private Lives 4 is Australia’s largest national survey of the health and wellbeing of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer, and asexual (LGBTIQA+) adults to date. It is conducted by the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society (ARCSHS) at La Trobe University. The survey will provide vital information for health professionals, service providers, community organisations and governments to better understand and support the health and wellbeing of LGBTIQA+ people in Australia. | Take the survey
Our Watch is developing new guidance on best practice social marketing to prevent violence against women, building on a national literature review completed with the University of Technology Sydney.
The review identified 12 key practice recommendations to strengthen impact and effectiveness. To ensure the guidance is practical and grounded in real-world delivery, feedback is now being sought on barriers to implementing good practice. Councils and practitioners are encouraged to complete a short survey (approx. 5 minutes) to help shape the final guidance and support stronger prevention campaigns across the sector. | Take the survey
Recovery and healing after sexual or family violence
currently seeking to interview Dads who have lived experience of childhood abuse (whether family and/or sexual violence), and who would be willing to reflect on their own parenting journey as they also seek to recover and heal from the past.
Contact
Family and domestic violence (FDV) is a significant issue in families of both current and former members of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety (ANROWS) and the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) have jointly funded this project, which will lay groundwork for monitoring trends in FDV through ongoing evidence production and translation involving existing data. This project will also ensure strategies are informed by a deep understanding of military cultural and organisational contexts, as well as veteran-centric systems, and how these contexts impact on disclosure and the continued use of FDV.Read more
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