The vision of the Alliance is to ensure victims and survivors of domestic, family, and sexual violence and abuse have access to affordable appropriate services to support their recovery and healing, for as long as they need them.

Purpose

The Alliance will consolidate and strengthen national advocacy efforts to support awareness raising about the long-term impact of domestic, family and sexual violence and abuse, and the urgent need for accessible and appropriate multisectoral services for victim survivors to support their recovery and prevent ongoing cycles of violence.

Women, children and gender diverse people who are experiencing trauma as a result of domestic, family and sexual violence have the right to accessible and properly resourced, best practice services and support to aid their recovery, for as long as it is needed.

Alliance objectives

• Increased national awareness of the long-term impacts of domestic, family and sexual violence.

• Increased national awareness of what recovery from abuse and violence means, and what it can look like.

• Policy recognition of the importance of appropriate and sustainable recovery services.

• Increased provision of and access to recovery services, supported by new funding, as an essential component in a victim survivor’s healing, as reflected in the Second National Plan 2022-2032.

• Increased funding for research co-produced with victim survivors into long term trauma recovery, recovery and revictimisation, and recovery and the perpetration of domestic, family, and sexual violence.

Membership Criteria

Membership of the Alliance consists of Australian non-government organisations, professional bodies, and survivor advocates with a focus on recovery from the impact of domestic, family and sexual violence.

A core group of foundation members has been formed.

Representation will be sought from all Australian States and Territories and from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, women with disabilities and the culturally and linguistically diverse and LGBTIQ+ communities.

The Alliance is based on feminist principles, and it recognises that domestic, family and sexual violence is a gendered issue.

All meetings are open to supportive parties (individual or organisational representatives).

Advocacy principles

• The alliance is non-partisan and will work with all political representatives to achieve the Alliance’s advocacy goals.

• Alliance members will work by the “no surprise rule” when engaging with political leaders, Departments and people of influence, informing other Alliance members of conversations and relevant information to the agreed advocacy issues and outcomes.

• Members acknowledge that individual services may advocate for organisation or location-specific outcomes, but that the Alliance will advocate with a consistent voice on an agreed set of issues and desired outcomes.

• All advocacy is professional and respectful.

• The responsibility of the violence always lies with the perpetrator.

Meetings

The Chair will circulate, with each state lead taking a turn.

Meetings will be held weekly via Zoom on Mondays at 2pm, unless otherwise advised.

Interested parties are invited to attend meetings and participate in action.